BLISSFUL RAYS OF THE MANDALA IN THE SERVICE OF OTHERS JULY - SEPTEMBER

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1 fpmt Mandala BLISSFUL RAYS OF THE MANDALA IN THE SERVICE OF OTHERS JULY - SEPTEMBER 2013 Four Countries, Countless Benefits Lama Zopa Rinpoche Tours East Asia His Holiness the Dalai Lama Visits Maitripa College & FPMT International Office THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FOUNDATION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE MAHAYANA TRADITION

2 Wisdom Publications The Leader in Classic and Contemporary Buddhist Works NO ORDINARY APPLE A Story About Eating Mindfully Story by Sara Marlowe, illustrations by Philip Pascuzzo Hardcover 36 pages $16.95 Deliciously fun to read. Sharon Salzberg, author of Real Happiness A HUNDRED THOUSAND WHITE STONES An Ordinary Tibetan s Extraordinary Journey Kunsang Dolma with Evan Denno 256 pages $17.95 Intimate, unpretentious, and insightful. Sienna Craig, author of Horses Like Lightning A CLASSICAL TIBETAN READER Selections from Renowned Works with Custom Glossaries Yael Bentor 160 pages $18.95 An excellent gateway into the world of Tibetan literature. Sonam Thakchoe, University of Tasmania A LAMP TO ILLUMINATE THE FIVE STAGES Teachings on Guhyasamāja Tantra Tsongkhapa, translated by Gavin Kilty Hardcover 636 pages $59.95 One of the greatest literary contributions to the genre of highest yoga tantra ever written. David Gonsalez, translator of Source of Supreme Bliss

3 NĀGĀRJUNA'S MIDDLE WAY Mūlamadhyamakakārikā Mark Siderits and Shōryū Katsura 368 pages $28.95 At last! At last we have a translation of the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā that can be enthusiastically recommended to students! This translation has the authentic flavour of Nāgārjuna. Paul Williams, University of Bristol, author of Buddhist Thought Masterful. Every student of Buddhist philosophy will want to own a copy of this book. Jan Westerhoff, Oxford University, author of Nāgārjuna s Madhyamaka THE COMPASSIONATE LIFE His Holiness the Dalai Lama 128 pages $14.95 Into this deceptively simple little book, the Dalai Lama has poured the goodness of his own heart and the distilled wisdom of lifetimes of work and teachings. It is all here, everything we need to enact in our own lives, even in the most trying of times. Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Wherever You Go, There You Are THE EASY PATH Illuminating the First Panchen Lama s Secret Instructions Gyumed Khensur Lobsang Jampa Edited by Lorne Ladner 368 pages $18.95 Richly detailed, inspiring, and completely practical instructions. Jan Willis, author of Enlightened Beings and Dreaming Me The first English translation of the Panchen Lama s Easy Path (Delam), one of the eight great treatises on the stages of the path, with commentary by Khensur Rinpoche of the DNKL center in Connecticut. Free shipping on orders of $25 or more. EBooks available from major providers. wisdompubs.org, Follow us on /wisdompubs Wisdom Publications, 199 Elm Street, Somerville, MA 02144

4 f p m t l i n e a g e s e r i e s heart advice series Bodhisattva Attitude How to Dedicate Your Life to Others Lama Zopa Rinpoche Edited by Ven. Sarah Thresher FREE For more free books go to lamayeshe.com all our books are available as ebooks from amazon, apple, barnes & noble, sony and more How to Practice Dharma: Teachings on the Eight Worldly Dharmas By Lama Zopa Rinpoche Edited by Gordon McDougall $10 Buddhism is a house full of treasures practices for gaining the happiness of future lives, the bliss of liberation and the supreme happiness of enlightenment but knowing the difference between Dharma and non-dharma is the key that opens the door to all those treasures. No matter how much we know about emptiness, the chakras or controlling our vital energy through kundalini yoga, it s all pointless without this crucial understanding of how to practice Dharma, how to correct our actions. There are vast numbers of people who delude themselves and waste their entire life studying the most esoteric aspects of Buddhism but never understand the most fundamental point, the distinction between Dharma and non- Dharma. Lama Zopa Rinpoche Free video of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche on our newyoutube channel: youtube.com/ lamayeshewisdom Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive contains recordings and transcripts of Lama Thubten Yeshe s and Lama Zopa Rinpoche s teachings dating back to the early 1970s and we re still growing! Our website offers thousands of pages of teachings by some of the greatest lamas of our time. Hundreds of audio recordings, our photo gallery and our ever-popular books are also freely accessible at lamayeshe.com. please see our website or contact us for more information Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive po box 636, lincoln, ma info@lamayeshe.com

5 CONTENTS fpmt Mandala 6 FROM THE EDITOR 8 TEACHINGS AND ADVICE COVER STORY 16 Four Countries, Countless Benefits: Lama Zopa Rinpoche Tours East Asia 26 DHARMA AND THE MODERN WORLD 34 FEATURED PROJECT 38 EDUCATION YOUR COMMUNITY 50 OBITUARIES 54 FPMT NEWS AROUND THE WORLD 59 FPMT DIRECTORY ONLINE HIGHLIGHTS Mandala publishes EXCLUSIVE ONLINE articles, photos, audio and video each issue to supplement our print publication. The July - September 2013 issue includes A TEACHER TELLS US WHY On Becoming a Vegan By Nicholas Ribush 9 PHOTO GALLERIES Lama Zopa Rinpoche in East Asia and His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Portland YOUR COMMUNITY Understanding Lam-rim, an interview with Ven. Sangye Khadro on the Masters Program complete interviews, advice, personal stories and more at mandalamagazine.org! COVER: Lama Zopa Rinpoche during a teaching organized by Mahayana Buddhist Association (Cham-Tse-Ling), Buddhist Wong Fung Ling College, Hong Kong, March 23, Photo by Tim Tam JULY - SEPTEMBER 2013 ISSUE 60 MANDALA (ISSN ) is published quarterly by FPMT, Inc., 1632 SE 11th Ave, Portland, OR , USA. Printed by Journal Graphics, Portland, Oregon, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Portland OR. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mandala, 1632 SE 11th Ave, Portland OR July - September 2013 Mandala 5

6 FROM THE EDITOR Dear Reader, This is one of those issues of Mandala where the abundance of amazing stories and photographs far exceeds the actual number of pages we had available in print. Lama Zopa Rinpoche s tour of FPMT centers in four Asian countries in February and March 2013 could easily fill an issue. Add to that His Holiness the Dalai Lama s visit in May to Maitripa College and FPMT International Office in Portland, Oregon, due to Yangsi Rinpoche s invitation. Plus, Tenzin Ösel Hita came for His Holiness visit, Maitripa hosted the FPMT North American Regional Meeting and His Holiness the Sakya Trizin offered teachings at Maitripa, all in the same weekend! That s enough stories for another issue or two of Mandala. I encourage all who read the print edition to visit Mandala s website mandalamagazine.org. Online, you ll find the articles and photos that we could not fit in the print edition, plus videos and more. I think you ll be surprised at the richness and depth of our online work, which includes new stories with each issue and our updated-daily blog. My heart overflows with joy and gratitude for being able to see both His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness the Sakya Trizin teach; for Lama Zopa Rinpoche s and Yangsi Rinpoche s vision and inspiration; for Tenzin Ösel Hita, who adds his fresh and vital perspective wherever he goes; and for FPMT students around the world, who are gathering together for teachings and events, building a strong community of Dharma practitioners and changing the world. I hope this issue, both in print and online, reflects the inspiration and blessings that flow from all of our kind teachers. Love, Laura CORRECTION: In Mandala April-June 2013, the photograph of a stupa near Wutai Shan in China on page 17 was incorrectly attributed. The photograph is by Ya-Hua Chen of Malaysia. We sincerely apologize for the error. Mandala is the official publication of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), an international charitable organization founded more than thirty years ago by two Tibetan Buddhist masters: Lama Thubten Yeshe ( ) and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche. FPMT is now a vibrant international community with a network of over 150 affiliate centers, projects, services and study groups in more than thirty countries. Editorial Policy Recurring topics include: Buddhist philosophy; Education; Ordination and the Sangha; Buddhism and Modern Life; Youth Issues; FPMT Activities Worldwide; Lama Yeshe and his teachings; Lama Zopa Rinpoche and his teachings; His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his teachings, among many other topics. Writers, photographers and artists, both amateur and professional, are encouraged to submit material for consideration. Mandala currently does not pay for publishable content; we credit all photos and other work as requested. Mandala is published quarterly and is available via the Friends of FPMT program. Additionally, the publication is supplemented by online stories published exclusively at: About Mandala Friends of FPMT is a donor program composed of Friends working together to support FPMT s global activities. To learn about Friends of FPMT levels and benefits, contact us or visit: Mandala is published in January, April, July and October. Managing Editor and Publisher Laura Miller laura@fpmt.org Assistant Editor, Advertising & Sales Michael Jolliffe michael@fpmt.org Art Director Cowgirls Design cowgirl@newmex.com Friends of FPMT Program Justin Jenkins friends@fpmt.org FPMT, Inc SE 11 th Ave. Portland, OR Tel: Fax: Toll free USA only FPMT Board of Directors Spiritual Director Lama Zopa Rinpoche Board Members Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi Ven. Roger Kunsang Ven. Pemba Sherpa Tenzin Ösel Hita Karuna Cayton Andrew Haynes Peter Kedge Tim McNeill Alison Murdoch Paula de Wijs-Koolkin Mandala July - September 2013

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8 TEACHINGS AND ADVICE Lama Yeshe s Wisdom The Diamond of All Existence By Lama Yeshe The experience of totality opens you up psychologically and gives you space to develop your great potential. Otherwise, you re suffocated by the heavy smog of duality; squeezed; oppressed. Your great potential is obstructed. Therefore, this experience is important. But it is very different from the philosophy. When we talk about emptiness philosophically, there s no such thing as the relative world disappearing. You don t say that your nose has disappeared; it s still there. If someone asks you if your nose is non-existent, you can t say yes. Your nose exists. If you say your nose is nonexistent people will freak out. They ll think you re a crazy nihilist; that you don t accept reality. When we talk philosophically, we accept all phenomena in the bubble of relativity. We don t deny the existence of our noses or other existent things. They have a cause; they have an effect; and they all manifest from the space of non-duality. They come and they go. Because of non-duality they can move freely, grow freely and disappear freely. It s natural. This is the law of the universe. It s not my law; it s not some Himalayan law. The law of the universe is scientific reality, not some kind of made-up fantasy, and it is extremely important that you discover it for yourself. advise people to do this; sometimes I recommend that. I tell people all kinds of things. But the sole purpose of every syllable, every letter, of every method I teach is to lead them to discover the reality of the universe, shunyata. Everything Lord Buddha said, every single movement he made was, in essence, a method of leading mother sentient beings to discover universal reality. These days, in the West, we hear a lot about the open heart, about opening your heart. This is common. From the Buddhist point of view, in order to open your heart, you have to realize something. I want to open my heart, but how? this is the question. Opening has to do with realization; no realization, nothing opens. It doesn t matter that you say, emotionally, I m open. I love you; you love me so much. That doesn t mean you re open. We do that kind of thing, don t we? No matter how much I open myself up to you, you never open yourself up to me. It s a joke. It s not true. Well, perhaps it s true in one sense, but actually, true openness implies space your consciousness embracing some kind of wide totality. This experience of embracing totality itself becomes the solution, or antidote, to the narrow, fanatical, conceptualizing dualistic mind. All Lord Buddha s sutras indicate that non-duality is the heart essence of every phenomenon in the universe. It is incredibly valuable the diamond of all existence. When you do, you will understand how the dark shadow of ignorance keeps the pitiful mother sentient beings in confusion; how sentient beings are suffering because they have not discovered the clean, clear, pure energy of universal reality. This is what they lack. Buddhism strongly emphasizes that universal non-duality is like cheesecake, or chocolate; we always assert that non-duality is the best phenomenon in the world. All Lord Buddha s sutras indicate that non-duality is the heart essence of every phenomenon in the universe. It is incredibly valuable the diamond of all existence. This is explained over and over again. It is such an important point. That s why throughout the entire canon of his teachings, Lord Buddha says again and again, Sometimes I But then there s the danger of the attitude, Wow! Universal reality is incredibly special, arising. We get the impression that shunyata is a really special, fantastic phenomenon. This attitude is wrong. Instead of, Oh, non-duality is special, up there; the ordinary, relative bubble of samsara is down here, which is completely wrong, our position should be more realistic: whenever there s the appearance of the bubble of relativity, we should simultaneously see non-duality within it. When we re in a conducive environment, we find meditation easier; because we re free of the vibration of the conflict of duality. When we re out and about, in contact with the objects of the bubble of relativity, our hearts immediately begin to shake; sense 8 Mandala July - September 2013

9 objects make uncontrolled energy run rampant within us. Because we don t see the non-duality of universal reality within the bubble of relativity, our reactions to objects in the sense world are fragmented. If we could see reality, we wouldn t shake every time there was a change in our external environment. Why, when the environment changes, does your behavior change immediately as well? You know, I like talking about this. For me, this is much more realistic than talking philosophy. So, Lama Yeshe at Manjushri Institute, England, Photo courtesy of Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. why do we change like that? Well, look at what happens to you here. As soon as you leave the meditation hall and go into the dining room, you manifest as something else completely. You re almost another person. Why? Because you differentiate between deepest, essential nature of the meditation hall and that of the dining room. If you could see universal reality of these two rooms and essential reality is non-differentiated; it has a unified quality you would not change so easily. You see, we are July - September 2013 Mandala 9

10 TEACHINGS AND ADVICE completely intoxicated by the dualistic mind; the dualistic mind completely overwhelms us. The vibration of each different environment too easily influences us. We think we re in control; we re not in control. When I look at a lovely flower, I m too influenced. I m intoxicated by it. When I look at something else, that, too, intoxicates me. I m completely dominated by my dualistic mind; I have no control. I m completely influenced by the external world and from my own side, am totally helpless. We re all the same we re constantly under the influence of whatever we see and hear outside. It s incredible. The dualistic, relative mind intoxicates us, while our wisdom realizing universal reality is in a deep sleep. Now is the time to reveal and activate that wisdom. going up and down. The relative environment changes automatically; there s no unchangeable environment. So as the relative bubble of your external environment constantly changes, your reality constantly changes, and you really believe that this is this and that is that. You have no universal understanding. That s what makes you and all other sentient beings suffer. And that s why visualization is powerful. Your environment is visualization. The things you see and feel are your visualization. I saw it, I felt it; therefore, it s real. That s what you say. What other logic do you have? You saw, you felt; that s it. What other scientific proof for its reality do you have? None. This is the reason for our saying that at the beginning of your practice, you need a conducive environment. When you reach The dualistic, relative mind intoxicates us, while our wisdom realizing universal reality is in a deep sleep. Now is the time to reveal and activate that wisdom. Our dualistic minds are so rigid. As soon as the environment changes, our reality changes. While we re here at the center, it s all Dharma. When we go into town to have fun, the sense world bubble of the dance club becomes our reality. Why am I taking this negative approach? Because it s more realistic. This is our experience. If I just talk abstract philosophy, you can t relate because it s not your experience. I like to talk about experience. Why, when the environment changes, does your reality change? That s all I m asking. You must really understand this yo-yo mind. The yo-yo mind is always up and down, and that s how you spend your whole life higher levels of development, perhaps then you can say that your consciousness is your temple, your consciousness is your church, but until then, when you are starting out, you are too easily influenced by the bubble of relativity and intellectual concepts; you are overwhelmed and dominated by the vibration of your visualization of the external world. Therefore, you need to develop your mind until you reach the point where you can see that in fact, reality does not change at all. Excerpt from Commentary on the Yoga Method of Divine Wisdom Manjushri, Manjushri Institute, Cumbria, England, August 3, Edited from the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive by Nicholas Ribush. Buddha Days and full and new moons are auspicious days and good for practice. On these days Lama Zopa Rinpoche recommends taking the Eight Mahayana Precepts in addition to any prayers and practices we engage in. Buddha Days July 12 Lord Buddha s first teaching July 22 Lord Buddha s conception (alternative) Full and New Moons (Tibetan 15th and 30th days) July 8, 22 August 6, 21 September 5, 19 The FPMT Foundation Store offers for sale the LIBERATION calendar, a traditional Tibetan lunar calendar including auspicious days and more, produced by Liberation Prison Project: shop.fpmt.org According to Choden Rinpoche, one of Lama Zopa Rinpoche s teachers, observation of auspicious days should be according to the date in India, not the date is one s home country. Therefore, when Lama Zopa Rinpoche is not in India, Rinpoche celebrates Buddha Days and other auspicious dates according to the time in India. 10 Mandala July - September 2013

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12 TEACHINGS AND ADVICE Advice from a Virtuous Friend We Will Keep Meeting Again and Again Until We Are Free from Samsara By Lama Zopa Rinpoche In the view of the ordinary beings, even in Western scientific thinking, human life must have attachment, must have anger, must have ignorance; it must have these things. How can there be life without attachment? It s not possible. It s not their experience to have life without attachment, the attachment that functions not to awaken the mind but to obscure the mind, instead of bringing it freedom. Instead of bringing the mind freedom, it clings to the happiness of this life, the comfort of this life. These are Nagarjuna s words. 12 Mandala July - September 2013 Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Singapore, March Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang.

13 Because of that attachment, that grasping, that clinging, there is no real happiness. We can see that with strong grasping we are not really happy and the stronger it is the less we are happy. If we check in our mind, we can see we re not happy; there is no realization in our heart, no inner peace in our life. The stronger the grasping mind is, the more suffering there is. Then when we don t get what we want, when some disturbance happens to that object we are clinging onto, such as when a family member dies, there is so much suffering. For example, a couple live together for many years and the husband suddenly dies. For the wife, there is no more refuge; there is nobody in the world, only this man. Since the world evolved, there has never been a person who stayed permanently. Any intelligent person will understand this. If you ask a crazy person it might be a different matter, but if you are not crazy, you know people can t live permanently, that there can t be a person who has lived permanently since the evolution of the world, nobody in Tibet, in America, in Africa, nowhere. But the husband dies suddenly or gradually and for the wife there is nobody else, nobody to rely on. And whether she is old or not, she maybe dies three or four months later, she doesn t live long after the husband s death. I ve heard this can happen in America not all the time, but generally speaking. Another example is when a child that the parent clings to very much dies. There is such unbelievable clinging my child! but then the child dies. This is just the nature of phenomena. Anything that is born must die, even plants, and of course it s the same for human beings. Nothing can stay forever. After meeting, there must be parting. It s like that in a family. The karmic connections that happen in a family are very interesting. The karma has ripened in this life to meet those people again as members of the family, whereas our relationship with them might have been very different in a past life. Our past life s husband might be our child now, and sometime in the past, that child may have also been our enemy or our wife. The child becomes the mother, we become the father or the enemy or the wife. There are so many possibilities. In this life, our family our parents, our brothers and sisters are only in those roles for a few years; these are just the relationships for this short time. In a certain number of years that will all change again, and in the next life the father can become the wife, the daughter can become the husband, the friend can become the enemy. It changes from life to life. Not all at one time, don t think that, but from beginningless rebirths, in the relationships we have with all sentient beings. Everybody in Singapore, every human being in Singapore, has had connections from beginningless rebirths. Not only that, but everybody in the whole world, every being in the whole world, the whole world of humans, of animals, of hungry ghosts, of hell beings, of suras and asuras we have had every kind of relationship with all of them from beginningless rebirths. We ourselves have been their enemy, husband, wife, child every kind of relationship from beginningless rebirths with all sentient beings, all sentient beings. As the teachings mention, we have been their enemy, friend, husband, wife, child numberless times, and until we are free from samsara, we will continue to be their enemy, friend, husband, wife, child and they will be our enemy, friend, husband, wife, child, aunt (not ant!), uncle and so forth. We will all be all these different things in all our different lives. So, if a member of the family dies, it is completely wrong to think that we will never meet them again. To be worried is completely useless; it can t help in any way. If there is any way we can help that person, help save them from the lower realms suffering, help free them from the suffering from samsara, then that is different. That is not superstition but a logical, true method, not just our belief. If there is something we can do to help of course we should do it, but to just worry that we will never meet them again is useless. It causes us to become worried and depressed. From that comes a negative emotional mind and that brings cancer and mental and physical problems, and we can t help others or ourselves. Shantideva says in A Guide to the Bodhisattva s Way of life: Why be unhappy about something If it can be remedied? And what is the use of being unhappy about something If it cannot be remedied? 1 What s the point of wanting our house to become made of diamonds, or the mountain to become made of gold, jewel, sapphires? Why worry so much about what can never be? It s pointless. Seeing it is useless, seeing there is no point in worrying, we should just give it up. Then there will be peace. What I m saying is that worrying is pointless. As long as we are in samsara, as long as we are still not free from samsara, we are going to have all these relationships with all these sentient beings. All sentient beings have been our father, brother and wife. They have been our children who have died, and those who have died will have different relationships with us in different lives. The body is not the same, but the continuum of mind is the same. If we are expecting only the body, not thinking about the mind, we will never see the person in that body again but, of body and mind, the mind takes a different body and we will keep meeting again and again until we are free from samsara. Excerpted from a series of teachings at Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, March Edited by Gordon McDougall for Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive ( 1 Chapter 6, verse 10 July - September 2013 Mandala 13

14 TEACHINGS AND ADVICE YANGSI RINPOCHE ON THE DALAI LAMA ENVIRONMENTAL SUMMIT You Have to Build the Ground In May 2013, Maitripa College, in Portland, Oregon, hosted a threeday environmental summit with His Holiness the Dalai Lama (see page 26). Prior to the event, Mandala spoke with Maitripa College president and founder Yangsi Rinpoche about the summit. Yangsi Rinpoche, Damascus, Oregon, June Photo by Marc Sakamoto. Mandala: Why did you invite His Holiness for an event focused on the environment? Yangsi Rinpoche: There are three reasons why we chose an environmental summit instead of having Madhyamaka teachings or an empowerment, for example. One reason is from the common sense, practical point of view: it s an issue of survival, the survival of the world s citizens. We re all preoccupied, and we re not prepared for the big environmental changes that are coming closer and closer. This is becoming very obvious and scientists are telling us so. To go a little deeper and address the spiritual side, the environment has two aspects: the inner environment and the external environment. All the Buddhist teachings are about the inner environment; but the inner and external environments are very strongly interdependent. A third point is that the world s citizens Buddhists and non-buddhists all have a relationship to the environment and the changes that are occurring and share the responsibility to take action to lessen the potential suffering. So these are the key motivations for an environmental summit: because all the world s citizens relate to these concerns; because from a common sense point of view it s a very important issue of survival; and because spiritually the problems of the external environment are so strongly connected with the inner environment, which is the concern of all Buddha s teachings. Mandala: Do you see this as a way to encourage Buddhist students to engage and develop their awareness of the issues of the external environment? Yangsi Rinpoche: We don t have to become scientists; we don t have to become environmental activists. I think we have to be inspired and live consciously. When you shower or wash dishes, you don t just carelessly use natural resources saying, I pay my water bill, so I ll do what I want! That s not conscious. But with awareness, you ll think, Yeah, I can use water, but I should be careful about it. That s our goal: just to have people carefully observe what s going on. Mandala: We talked to David Suzuki, an environmental activist who also is speaking at the summit. He s spent many years as an environmental activist and he expressed some of the discouragement and frustration that people involved in the environmental movement are feeling because they see so many losses and global warming goes on unabated. How does this summit address this? Yangsi Rinpoche: This environmental summit is like groundwork. If nobody is inspired and you re trying to explain scientific issues and make a point, then everything becomes judgmental. The reason we re trying to do this summit is to really build up the fundamental foundation of inspiration to address environmental issues. Once you re inspired, you re willing to listen. And when you re willing to listen, you really will look for solutions. Inspiring the person first and not saying this is wrong, that is wrong immediately will work better. I think that a person feeling frustrated is understandable, but I think you have to be patient and work from a fundamental foundation. You have to build the ground. If you don t build the ground, it doesn t work. Our vision for this environmental summit is not about what s going wrong and who can fix it. It s just fundamental: we want people to be inspired. Once you re able to inspire, they ll listen, and there s a willingness that comes. Then there s a way to make changes and find solutions. We humans are intelligent. If we re very, very inspired, we can look at a problem like garbage and come up with amazing ideas. From that point of view, we can recycle anything. Maitripa College is the first and only Buddhist college in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. To learn more, visit 14 Mandala July - September 2013

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16 LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE S TOUR Four Countries, Countless Benefits LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE TOURS EAST ASIA FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche spent February and March 2013 touring FPMT centers in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. Rinpoche offered inspiration and teachings to hundreds, if not thousands, of students, most of whom had not seen Rinpoche since he manifested a stroke in April While on tour, Rinpoche displayed his extraordinary commitment to benefiting all sentient beings, tirelessly guiding Sangha and lay students with his wisdom and compassion. Mandala asked centers in each country to share their favorite moments from Rinpoche s visit, which we offer here. A Warm Welcome for Rinpoche in Taiwan By Ven. Thubten Dechen, director of Education Services for FPMT Taiwan and resident interpreter of Heruka Center; and Ven. Thubten Osel, director of Jinsiu Farlin Lama Zopa Rinpoche last visited Taiwan in 2009, yet many students there felt as if decades had passed since they last saw Rinpoche. There was no question that he would be warmly welcomed upon his return. But as circumstances had it, the question became, When? On January 14, 2013, students took leave from their jobs, a few teachers and doctors rescheduled their timetables, and some even canceled their important appointments just so that they could be in the airport that day to receive Rinpoche. There was so much excitement in the air. Then all of a sudden, a phone call came in and an announcement was made that Rinpoche was not coming the trip had been postponed a day! This happened not just once or twice, but three times over the course of the next four days. And people began to doubt if Rinpoche really was coming to Taiwan at all. Many thoughts went through people s minds, the most common being, That s Rinpoche! Rinpoche has not even changed a bit! Finally on the afternoon of January 19, the anxious wait ended, as hundreds of old and new students alike watched Rinpoche appear from the arrival gate and greeted him with khatas and smiles. From the airport, Rinpoche was driven straight to Shakyamuni Center in Taichung where he would begin a personal retreat in the following days. A normally two-hour southbound journey ended up being much longer than expected. During the trip, Rinpoche offered a teaching on emptiness to the driver, Dr. Steve Lin, chairman of FPMT Taiwan, when they stopped at a rest station. Shakyamuni Center, Taichung Located in central Taiwan, Shakyamuni Center owns a magnificent five-story building complex in suburban Taichung, a place quite isolated from the hustle and bustle of city life and yet not too far from modern conveniences. Rinpoche spent a few weeks doing personal retreat there before embarking on three weekends of public events hosted by the three FPMT centers in Taiwan: Shakyamuni Center in Taichung, Jinsiu Farlin in Taipei and Heruka Center in Kaohsiung. In addition to the public events at Shakyamuni Center scheduled for February 16-17, Rinpoche added many more surprise programs, one of which was Palden Lhamo puja at 4 A.M.onthe first day of the Tibetan New Year (Losar, this year, February 11). In a monastery, Palden Lhamo puja would have only required two hours to complete, but ours lasted for more than four hours! It was then followed by Lama Chöpa Jorchö in the afternoon. Rinpoche wanted the center to provide meals to all the hundreds of people who attended the Losar pujas something 16 Mandala July - September 2013

17 Lama Zopa Rinpoche with FPMT Taiwan resident geshes, Sangha and students on Losar, Taichung, Taiwan, February 11, Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang. which was not planned, but the center managed to pull off (of course, all due to Rinpoche s blessing). After the Losar event, Rinpoche gathered the local FPMT Sangha and led group practice several times. Rinpoche also did sojong (a purification practice specifically for ordained Sangha) and advised that Sangha should continue sojong even after he had left Taiwan. Rinpoche then proceeded to appoint Geshe Tashi Tsethar, Heruka Center s resident teacher, to preside over all the subsequent sojongs. Rinpoche spent a lot of time with the Sangha during the visit. He invited them out for meals, took them for walks along the brook in front of the center, and had a little party in a park, where everyone enjoyed cheesecakes and hot chocolate. Rinpoche also took time to talk with the individual monks and nuns who live at the center, getting to know them, giving gifts and expressing appreciation for their service. Rinpoche began a series of teachings on light offerings, something which he had wanted to do for many years but hadn t actualized until then. During Rinpoche s last weekend in Taichung, Shakyamuni Center hosted a White Dzambhala jenang and protector puja. Both were attended by more than 200 people. Shakyamuni Center was founded in 1994 and, like its sister centers in Taiwan, has had the good karma of being under the guidance of several resident teachers, among them: Geshe Lobsang Sherab, Geshe Thubten Khedrup, Geshe Dasang, Geshe Thubten Gyurme, and currently Geshe Ngawang Gyatso, who arrived at the center two years ago. Unlike most of the resident geshes in FPMT centers who graduated from Sera Monastic University in South India, Geshe Gyatso came from Drepung Loseling Monastery. Despite being one of the youngest resident geshes in FPMT, Geshe Gyatso has had extensive experience in teaching and coaching from his seven years of service in Drepung Loseling School as the headmaster. Geshe-la is also well-known for his special skill in Tibetan astrology and divination. Reflecting on Rinpoche s visit, Shakyamuni Center spiritual program coordinator Ven. Gyaltsen said, Rinpoche s coming to the center is like throwing in multiple quizzes, always testing how well the staff and students react to changes! July - September 2013 Mandala 17

18 LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE S TOUR From left: Long life puja, Taipai, Taiwan, February 25, Photo by Andrew Chin; Audience at Shakyamuni Center, Taichung, Taiwan, February 18, Photo by Ven. Thubten Kunsang. Jinsiu Farlin, Taipei From Taichung, Rinpoche traveled to Taipei, which is approximately two hours north by car, for another week-long program. Rinpoche led a Lama Chöpa on a tsog day at Jinsiu Farlin, and gave more teachings on light offerings and emptiness. Rinpoche also met with FPMT Taiwan board members and had a meeting with the new director of the Maitreya Project, Nita Ing. The weekend s public events, February 23-25, were held in an auditorium, where an estimated 400 people turned up for the Red Chenrezig jenang, the Thousand Offerings to Shakyamuni Buddha puja and the auspicious long life puja offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche by the FPMT Taiwan Foundation and all three local FPMT centers. Jinsiu Farlin is the earliest established of the three FPMT centers in Taiwan, coming into existence more than two decades ago, and before FPMT Taiwan was formally registered as a foundation in After Jinsiu Farlin was founded, many teachers, including geshes and Western monks and nuns, have inspired and contributed toward its growth. To name a few: Geshe Lama Konchog, Geshe Ngawang Dakpa, Geshe Thubten Khedrup, Ven. Thubten Dondrub, Thubten Gyatso (Dr. Adrian Feldmann) and Ven. Yeshe Khadro. Jinsiu Farlin s current resident teacher is Geshe Thubten Gyurme, who has been with the center for the last nine years. Over the years, Geshe-la has learned to speak a good amount of Mandarin (Taiwan s official language), a key factor in keeping students connected to the center. Currently, Geshe-la teaches three times a week: the chapter on Calm Abiding and Special Insight from Lamrim Chenmo on Tuesdays, the first chapter of the Ornament of Clear Realization on Wednesdays, and the Litany of the Names of Manjushri on Thursdays. Apart from the teaching curriculum and regular pujas such as Lama Chöpa and Tara puja, the center also arranges weekly programs, such as Dharma in English, a lam-rim study group, tsa-tsa painting, qi gong sessions, yoga practice and many other one-off events such as nyung näs and death and dying workshops. Heruka Center, Kaohsiung Rinpoche s last stop in Taiwan was Heruka Center in Kaohsiung, the largest metropolis in southern Taiwan, where non-buddhists outnumber Buddhists by a larger margin compared to the north. The center rented a Chinese temple to house Rinpoche, his entourage and a number of foreign guests as well as to host the public events which included a 21 Taras jenang and a Hayagriva puja with extensive offerings beautifully arranged. The events took place on March 2-3 and attracted an attendance of more than 200. Following the public events, Rinpoche visited Heruka Center itself and had a brief chat with the resident geshe before leading an overnight puja to bless the center s wealth vases. The puja concluded in the wee hours of the morning, leaving Rinpoche s attendants merely five hours to pack and prepare to leave for the airport in Taoyuan, which was a five-hour journey by car from Kaohsiung. Heruka Center was founded at about the same time as Shakyamuni Center and has had the privilege of housing some of the most learned contemporary Buddhist scholars as resident teachers, who themselves were genuine practitioners. They include Geshe Lama Konchog; Khensur Rinpoche Geshe Donyo, the former abbot of Sera Je Monastery; Geshe Lobsang Jamyang; and Geshe Tashi Tsethar, the current resident teacher, who arrived at the center two years ago. Geshe-la now teaches three times a week: the Seventy Topics on Tuesdays, the Six Session Guru Yoga on Fridays and the Middle Length Lam-rim on Saturdays. Students from outside of Kaohsiung or who are overseas and would like to study these subjects can log 18 Mandala July - September 2013

19 on to the center s Skype account (HerukaCenter) to receive these teachings and the Chinese translation simultaneously. As recently requested by a group of Buddhist students, starting from mid-june this year the center extends its current teaching curriculum to Tainan, a city to the north of Kaohsiung, where Geshe-la begins a satellite class focused on teaching Buddhist philosophy. The first subject is on tenets. On top of its regular monthly pujas, Heruka Center also arranges animal liberation, Trukchuma for pacifying obstacles, Manjushri practice, Naga puja, short retreats on the preliminary practices and many other varieties of pujas for purification and collecting merit. FPMT Taiwan s website (in Mandarin) is New and Familiar Faces Welcome Rinpoche to Amitabha Buddhist Centre By Ven. Tenzin Tsultrim, resident Sangha at Amitabha Buddhist Centre Lama Zopa Rinpoche s return to Singapore and Amitabha Buddhist Centre (ABC) after an absence of two years was greeted with great enthusiasm from the moment he arrived at Changi Airport on March 4. It was a Monday evening, but that did not stop some 300 people from waiting at the airport to welcome Rinpoche. There were many new faces among the crowd, people who had not met or received a teaching from Rinpoche before. However, one could hardly tell, judging by the excitement as Rinpoche emerged from the baggage claim area, with assistant Ven. Roger Kunsang supporting on one side, walking slowly towards us. Everybody got their turn to offer a khata and receive a blessing from Rinpoche. It was too brief a visit, with just four days of teachings scheduled March But our precious guru and spiritual director wasted no time at all bestowing advice and teachings, granting a Medicine Buddha jenang, giving refuge vows and accepting our offering of a long life puja. A highlight of the program was an evening when ABC s many volunteers were invited to meet Rinpoche. As a city Dharma center with a busy schedule of classes and pujas, ABC has long depended on the help of volunteers from among our members and students to support our full-time staff. Our pool of volunteers has grown to nearly 300 in the last two years, with many who have not met Rinpoche. The evening with Rinpoche on March 7 was arranged to acknowledge the invaluable service given by ABC s volunteers over the years. The meeting with Rinpoche became a teaching, and Rinpoche s short speech stretched into a long talk, much to the Lama Zopa Rinpoche speaking to Amitabha Buddhist Centre volunteers, Singapore, March 7, Photo by Stephen Ching. delight of the 200 volunteers present. At the end of the evening, Rinpoche gave tokens of appreciation to everyone. The gift was a set of 500 cards comprising the Lama Chöpa merit field, 16 Arhats, 35 Confession Buddhas, 7 Medicine Buddhas and 21 Taras, a total of 100,000 deities in one pack. Rinpoche explained that the cards containing numerous images of buddhas were very important for purifying negative karma and accumulating merit. One can take any insect or animal that one finds and circumambulate them around the cards, Rinpoche advised. We ourselves can also circumambulate the cards while going about activities such as talking on the phone. This is my present to you, Rinpoche said. Thank you so much for your volunteering in the past, present and future. Our center director, Tan Hup Cheng, then asked Rinpoche what further advice he could give with regard to our education July - September 2013 Mandala 19

20 LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE S TOUR Hundreds turned up at the airport for Lama Zopa Rinpoche s arrival in Singapore, March 4, Photo by Tan Seow Kheng. program. In reply Rinpoche proposed, for the first time, that we should do a one-year meditation program on the stages of the path to enlightenment (lam-rim), now that our studies are done. Rinpoche recommended that individuals could meditate according to the lam-rim outlines, starting with two or three months on guru devotion and working through the three scopes, completing the lam-rim in one year. One could later progress to the two tantric stages. Rinpoche said, That would be very, very, very good. That will please His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He will appreciate it so much because there is no other organization, no other center doing it like this. ABC s Roots and Milestones Officially established on January 1, 1989, ABC s origins date back to 1984 when Lama Yeshe visited Singapore and met several students who were interested in forming a Buddhist group. It was Lama Yeshe who gave our center its name, and Lama Zopa Rinpoche who established ABC. In 1985 while on retreat in India, Rinpoche developed a very sudden and overwhelming instinct to visit Singapore. Rinpoche has described the instinct as being like an urge to throw up. Soon after his retreat, Rinpoche visited Singapore where he saw how the Dharma would greatly benefit a growing number of people. With Rinpoche s guidance, Amitabha Buddhist Centre officially came into being. ABC is involved with a network of about 3,000 people in Singapore. Many of them made the connection with us through our Vesak celebration. In Singapore, Vesak is celebrated as the day observing the Buddha s birth, enlightenment and passing into nirvana. It is a national holiday and celebrated by Buddhists of all traditions. Every Vesak since the 1990s, ABC has organized a festival lasting three to four days on an open field across the street from our building. The public is invited to participate in the many activities, including pujas, opportunities for light offerings and circumambulation around a 20-foot [6-meter] replica of the Maitreya Buddha statue. There is also a refuge-taking ceremony. In earlier years, Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup, former abbot of Kopan Monastery, gave the vows. Our resident geshe and Kopan s current abbot, Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi, continues the tradition. In January 2012, ABC hosted an exhibition in Singapore of the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace, a project of Australia s Great Stupa of Universal Compassion. More than 300,000 people saw the 9-foot [2.7-meter] tall Jade Buddha during its two-week visit. It took a year to plan the event and we roped in the help of 285 volunteers. One activity that was very popular with visitors was the traditional offering of packets of rice grains to the Buddha. Thanks to very generous sponsors, a whopping 80,000 kilograms [176,000 pounds] of rice was offered to the Jade Buddha. ABC later donated all the rice to local charities. Another ongoing project at ABC is animal liberation. Since May 2000, more than 170 million lives, mainly fish and marine creatures, have been liberated and returned to the sea. We continue to conduct animal liberations at least once a month, dedicating the merits especially for the lives and health of our gurus. Current Priorities and Highlights In our efforts to reach out to a wider community, ABC recently launched our first food distribution project to aid the poor. Called JINPA for Our Community (JINPA: Joy in Practicing Altruism), we teamed up with a national social assistance agency to distribute groceries to 203 families in need all across Singapore. The campaign drew an enthusiastic response from our members and friends, with 216 volunteers helping to deliver the groceries during this one-day event on April 13. Our main priority remains with Dharma education. ABC started its first Basic Program in It was completed in 2010 with 26 graduates. Our second Basic Program began in June 2011 with an unprecedented enrollment of 231 students. Today, some 120 students still attend the part-time program taught by Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi. Through Lama Zopa Rinpoche s inspiring vision, ABC has a display of 120,000 light offerings. Following Rinpoche s advice, 100,000 lights were fixed outside the sixth and seventh floors of our building. The latest collection of LED lights was installed in November Another 20,000 lights were added inside the building, illuminating the altars of two of our prayer halls as well as Rinpoche s apartment, in time for Rinpoche s visit in March. Rinpoche referred to the lights jokingly as 100,000 lights AND 20,000 lights! 20 Mandala July - September 2013

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22 LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE S TOUR A Tsunami of Wisdom and Love Sweeps over Malaysia By Yeo Puay Huei, deputy director and spiritual program coordinator Losang Dragpa Centre; Daniel Yeoh, director Chokyi Gyaltsen Center; and Selina Foong, director Rinchen Jangsem Ling Retreat Centre The Rinpoche tsunami of wisdom and unconditional love flooded our lives with bliss in March Lama Zopa Rinpoche, our spiritual father, mother and Buddha all rolled into one, stayed at Losang Dragpa Centre at the joint-invitation of all four Malaysian FPMT centers: Losang Dragpa Centre, Kasih Hospice Care, Rinchen Jangsem Ling Retreat Centre and Chokyi Gyaltsen Center. Rinpoche s health did not allow visits to the other centers this time, but members of all the centers came together to attend Rinpoche s program on March Highlights of the visit include the 10-hour Hayagriva Tsog Kong puja to generate extensive merit, to remove obstacles, in particular, illnesses caused by nagas, and to restore damaged or broken vows and commitments. The two days of lam-rim teachings were skillfully woven into an impromptu but grand Medicine Buddha puja and continued into the long life puja held the following day. It must have been a record of some kind the six-hour long life puja for Lama Zopa Rinpoche on March 17 more than 500 people attended and roared out the long life puja s tuneful prayers. All the buddhalands and the entire six realms must have heard it! Rinpoche expressed how much he enjoyed the puja and felt it was very sincere. Everyone was remarkably self-disciplined in giving Rinpoche the space to do his own practices and get the needed rest in between events. The entire visit saw a burst of offerings, oceans of Dharma and a limitless expanse of Rinpoche s deep and unconditional love for his students and all beings, form and formless. The executive committees of the four centers also met with Rinpoche. We received much valuable advice from Rinpoche, including the reminder that to be successful in serving others we must give up self-cherishing; that although compassion is immeasurably beneficial, we also need wisdom; and that sentient beings are most kind and we must repay their kindness. Rinpoche also explained the necessity and results of purification practice and how by just seeing a statue or image of Buddha, we collect more merit than offering nectar to thousands of devas. We pray that our precious guru remains with us until all attain enlightenment. FPMT Centers in Malaysia Losang Dragpa Centre (LDC) was first born in 1995, due to the initiative of Yeo Puay Huei, Ng Jun Mei and Pek Chee Hen, who met at a month-long retreat at Kopan Monastery in Nepal and were inspired by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to begin a Dharma group in Malaysia. In 1998, Losang Dragpa became a registered FPMT center and welcomed its first resident teacher, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, who served the center five years. Geshe Losang Sherab next filled the position of resident teacher, followed by Geshe Children during long life puja, Losang Dragpa Centre, March 17, Photo by Bill Kane. Tenzin Deyang, Geshe Tenzin Zopa and Geshe Jampa Tsundue, who currently serves the center. Vens. Dechen and Osel, now in Taiwan, also have offered their support to our community. In 2005, Losang Dragpa Centre was able to buy its current premises in the leafy neighborhood of Petaling Jaya, which is next to Malaysia s capital city of Kuala Lumpur. The center offers a full schedule of pujas, practices and classes as well as a children s program. In 2012, Lama Zopa Rinpoche made a gift to LDC of a very large thangka of Medicine Buddha from Mongolia, which was on display during the recent visit. Kasih Hospice Care became an independent FPMT service in 2005, although it traces its roots back several years to being a project of Losang Dragpa Centre. The hospice developed under the guidance of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who advised that a Buddhist hospice should not only help alleviate suffering in a patient s present life, but also help move his or her mind into a positive state, to secure a better future life. Currently, Kasih Hospice manages a wide range of programs and activities to assist people at home and in hospitals. In the last year, Kasih Hospice has added pet therapy to its hospice service. Consenting patients, particularly those suffering from communication problems or depression, are visited by trained dogs in our case, two dogs named Bella and Molly and their handlers. The unconditional affection and non-judgmental touch of a pet can sometimes open up within a patient a willingness to talk or break into a smile. Overall, Kasih Hospice works to help patients view death as the most natural way of letting go and to see that as long as one has breath, one can still benefit others with one s mind through kindness and prayers Mandala July - September 2013

23 Support the continuing activities of LAMA YESHE and LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE over many lifetimes to come by requesting your legal advisor to include a bequest to FPMT in your will or trust. SAMPLE BEQUEST LANGUAGE: I give, devise, and bequeath to the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, Inc., a California Non Profit Corporation, with offices at 1632 SE 11th Avenue, Portland, Oregon, 97214, USA percent ( %) of my residuary estate; and/or the sum of dollars ($ ). Gifts of stocks, bonds, life insurance proceeds, real estate and other assets may also be donated in your will or trust. For more information, contact Chuck Latimer at FPMT International Office: Tel. +1 (503) ; chuck@fpmt.org. Or visit: Within our organization, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, there are numberless projects through which you can make your belongings most beneficial for sentient beings and the teachings of the Buddha.... The aim of the projects is to illuminate the world from darkness, ignorance and suffering. LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE FPMT, INC SE 11TH AVE. PORTLAND OR July - September 2013 Mandala 23

24 LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE S TOUR Rinchen Jangsem Ling Retreat Centre (RJL) is a scenic 2.5- hour drive from Kuala Lumpur. Sitting on 17 beautiful acres of hilltop land in Triang, Pahang, the center is imbued with positive energy and is very conducive to meditation and retreats. The land was offered to Losang Dragpa Centre in 2000 and was officially opened by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in 2005 with festivities, teachings and a visit from the Maitreya Heart Shrine Relics. RJL runs weekly programs for the local community such as animal liberation, lam-rim classes and youth group sessions, as well as yearly retreats such as nyung nä, mani retreat and the Guru Rinpoche 100,000 Tsog Offerings retreat. RJL also receives tourists by the busload from all over Malaysia due to its beautiful location and uniqueness. Chokyi Gyaltsen Center (CGC) started out as a study group due to the late Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup s suggestion to Geshe Tenzin Zopa before his visit to Penang in February The study group received its name from Lama Zopa Rinpoche a few months later and celebrated its inaugural Dharma activities on Saka Dawa and Vesak weekend in May The group developed, and with the fundraising assistance of Lillian Too, Chokyi Gyaltsen was able to buy property for the center in May Ven. Osel came in 2009 and offered valuable support to our growing center. In 2011, Geshe Deyang became the center s first resident geshe, and half a year later, Ven. Osel left for Taiwan to take up a center director position. The presence of Geshe Deyang has transformed CGC s gompa with the addition of incredibly beautiful life-size holy statues. Over the last eight years, Rinpoche has visited the center three times and Lama Lhundrup was able to visit six times. Choden Rinpoche had his fourth visit in May And His Eminence Ling Rinpoche, Dagri Rinpoche and Tenzin Ösel Hita have all visited the center once. The center is currently in the midst of completing an offering of 100,001 lights and hoping Lama Zopa Rinpoche will officiate the inauguration. A Deeply Touching Visit to Hong Kong By Ven. Pemba Sherpa, co-director Mahayana Buddhist Association Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Hong Kong, March 23, Photo by Tim Tam. 24 Mandala July - September 2013 Lama Zopa Rinpoche s visit to Mahayana Buddhist Association (Cham-Tse-Ling) in Hong Kong, March 18-25, was the last leg of his East Asian tour. On March 22, Rinpoche kindly participated in our regular Lama Chöpa with about 80 people in the center, during which Rinpoche delivered a three-hour teaching on emptiness. The teaching emphasized the importance of a correct understanding of the right view and of realizing the view now when we have the great opportunity and the external and internal environments conducive to practicing Dharma. Both the teaching on How to Face Death without Fear and the Vajrasattva initiation, held March 23-24, were very wellreceived. On both days, Rinpoche offered extensive teaching on emptiness. Over 400 people came to receive the teaching, initiation and blessings from Rinpoche. After a lapse of three long years since his last visit to Hong Kong, everyone was so overjoyed to see Rinpoche. Dharma brothers and sisters from Russia, China, Australia, UK, Europe and Southeast Asia also were among those attending the events. Many were deeply touched when Rinpoche did a full-length prostration at the very beginning of the teachings. A few people even commented that this is how Rinpoche manifested to teach us the need to practice Dharma, starting with prostrations, while we still can. Another moving event was when one of our former directors, Miss Wong Lim Chee, passed away on the second day of Rinpoche s visit, after receiving her final advice from Rinpoche over the phone. [See Miss Wong s obituary on page 50.]

25 Rinpoche doing prostrations, Hong Kong, March 23, Photo by Tim Tam. All in all, it was a short yet highly memorable and meaningful visit. Mahayana Buddhist Association (Cham-Tse-Ling) was officially named and established in The center grew out of the efforts of Peter Kedge, who moved to Hong Kong in 1980 after serving as Lama Yeshe s secretary for four years. Mahayana Buddhist Association has an active program of teachings, held twice weekly. Lama Chöpa, Tara puja and Medicine Buddha puja are held monthly. Animal liberations and retreats are also organized from time to time. The center also sponsors a variety of virtuous activities in Bodhgaya, India, and Kopan Monastery in Nepal, including light offering festivals; puja offerings to over 1,000 Sangha in Kopan and its affiliated monasteries in Nepal; recitations of the entire Kangyur and the three versions of the Prajñaparamita Sutra; nyung näs during Saka Dawa; pujas on Lama Tsongkhapa Day and Losar; Monlam Chenmo, the annual five-day great prayer festival for world peace in Kopan; and Jangwa and Medicine Buddha puja with recitation of 1,000,000 Vajrasattva mantras each August. For the last eight years, the center also has done fundraising to help the Sera Je Food Fund. Last year, we managed to offer shoes to Sera Je Sangha, a total of 3,500 pairs of shoes, and also offered robes to over 1,650 rinpoches, geshes, monks and nuns. Our routine work also includes arranging pujas with Kopan Monastery for individuals who have health problems, obstacles or those facing death. Very often, we publish teachings translated into Chinese. The video of Lama Zopa Rinpoche s teachings in East Asia can be watched online at new.livestream.com/fpmt. Visit mandalamagazine.org where you can see more photos from Lama Zopa Rinpoche s tour and read Ven. Roger Kunsang s blog Life on the Road with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, which shares more stories from the East Asia tour. July - September 2013 Mandala 25

26 DHARMA AND THE MODERN WORLD His Holiness the Dalai Lama being greeted at the airport by Yangsi Rinpoche and Portland Mayor Charlie Hales, Portland, Oregon, U.S., May 8, Photo by Marc Sakamoto. 10,000 Khatas Offered to His Holiness at Maitripa College s Dalai Lama Environmental Summit Yangsi Rinpoche first had the strong wish to offer endless khatas to His Holiness the Dalai Lama when he was a teenaged monk attending one of His Holiness teachings in South India in the 1980s. Rinpoche had seen individuals offering khatas to His Holiness one by one, but he had a vision of everyone offering khatas together. The idea was forgotten for many years. In July 2012, His Holiness officially accepted Yangsi Rinpoche s invitation to come to Portland, Oregon, in the United States, Rinpoche s current home and the location of the FPMT-affiliated Maitripa College, which he founded. According to Rinpoche, as plans began to come together for His Holiness visit, the idea of a vast offering of khatas suddenly and spontaneously returned to his mind. Rinpoche called his sister in Nepal and asked her if she could send him 10,000 khatas cut. No problem, she said. Then one afternoon in April 2013, a pick-up truck pulled up in front of Maitripa College on an unusually sunny spring day. Yangsi Rinpoche and a half-dozen students unloaded five heavy and awkward white sacks of khatas off of a pallet and stashed them in the classroom. Later, Rinpoche told the Tibetan class that met there, I think you should fold them. We turned the classroom into a khata-folding factory a few days later. The desks were lined up, and we had it set so we could have several people folding at the same time, Donna Brown, a first-year Maitripa Master of Divinity student from Winnipeg, Canada, recounted for Mandala. Rinpoche had unexpectedly put Donna in charge of khata folding and told her to get it all done within a week. A mass went out; phone calls were made; dozens of volunteers showed up. Six 26 Mandala July - September 2013

27 days later, 10,000 khatas were folded and ready to be handed out during the Saturday afternoon event with His Holiness two weeks later. The events coming together really hinged on the volunteers, said Ryan Wright, a first-year Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies student from Saskatoon, Canada, who coordinated the more than 100 volunteers who came not only from the Maitripa community but also from the larger Portland Buddhist and Tibetan communities as well as from out of town. Both Donna and Ryan agreed that volunteers worked together harmoniously and, despite many days of long hours, were always generous and kind and also had a lot of fun. Yangsi Rinpoche s unique vision and inspiration guided the volunteers efforts and molded the entire event s manifestation. Rinpoche was integral to every angle from the details of how to fold the 10,000 khatas to whom he brought together for the panel discussions to the overall shape of the Dalai Lama Environmental Summit, explained Leigh Sangster, director of programs at Maitripa. Maitripa Institute welcomed its first students in January 2006, the same year Yangsi Rinpoche first extended the invitation to His Holiness to visit Portland. In 2008, the school became Maitripa College after being authorized to confer graduate degrees by the State of Oregon. For over seven years now, Rinpoche has served as the college president and has taught the majority of graduate-level classes in Buddhist studies to a diverse range of full- and part-time students. Yangsi Rinpoche was born in 1968 in Nepal and is the recognized reincarnation of Geshe Ngawang Gendun, a highly regarded scholar from Sera Monastery in Tibet and a teacher of Lama Yeshe, Geshe Lhundub Sopa and many others. Rinpoche studied at Kopan Monastery in Nepal and Sera Je Monastic University in South India, receiving his Lharampa Geshe degree in 1995 and completing his studies at Gyume Tantric College. Since then, he has taught in many places, including Tushita Meditation Centre in India and Institut Vajra Yogini in France, as well as served five years as resident teacher at Deer Park Buddhist Center, founded by Geshe Sopa in Madison, Wisconsin, in the United States. His Holiness only other visit to Portland was in 2001, when he spoke to a crowd of more than 25,000, who gathered outside to see him in the city s downtown Pioneer Square. For the 2013 visit, Yangsi Rinpoche had something different in mind. Maitripa College would host a three-day summit, focused on the environment. On the morning of Thursday, May 9, the summit kicked off with His Holiness sharing the stage with local leaders from Portland s religious communities for an interfaith dialogue at the University of Portland s Chiles Center. The religious leaders Grandmother Agnes Baker Pilgrim, Rev. E. William Beauchamp, Imam Muhammad A. Najieb and Rabbi Michael Z. Cahana had an engaging conversation on spirituality and the environment with His Holiness in front of an audience of more than 4,000. The interfaith speakers were invited to articulate environmental 10,000 white khatas offered to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Portland, Oregon, U.S., May 11, Photo by Don Farber; Inset: Photo by Marc Sakamoto. July - September 2013 Mandala 27

28 DHARMA AND THE MODERN WORLD His Holiness touring FPMT International Office, May 10, His Holiness and translator Thupten Jinpa in the Jokhang at Maitripa College. Tibetan community members waiting outside of Maitripa College for His Holiness. Photos by Leah Nash. concerns as they appear in their own communities and to help us all identify with our common, universal values, Leigh explained. During the afternoon session, His Holiness gave a talk on the inner environment, emphasizing that secular ethics are closely connected to training and disciplining our minds and emotions. On the morning of May 10, His Holiness motorcade pulled up in front of the building shared by Maitripa College and FPMT International Office. His Holiness was coming to attend the symposium Life after Life and bless Maitripa s graduation ceremony. Traditional auspicious symbols were freshly drawn in chalk on the sidewalk. New shambu hung over the windows and waved in the light breeze. Blooming flowers decorated the planters lining the street. And agents in black suits and sunglasses patrolled the closed-off streets, where a crowd had gathered to greet His Holiness. Inside, about 200 invited guests past and current students of Maitripa, board members and friends of the college quietly waited for His Holiness to arrive. Students later commented that Yangsi Rinpoche s artistic vision for each moment of the visit was evident in how beautifully the Friday morning symposium at Maitripa unfolded. Rinpoche required all invited guests to sit on uniform-sized meditation benches and maintain silence as they entered the building and took their seats in the Jokhang (Maitripa s gompa). In a rehearsal two nights prior, Rinpoche encouraged attendees to feel as though they were coming to participate in a short retreat with His Holiness. Once everyone was seated and His Holiness arrival was imminent, Yangsi Rinpoche instructed the audience to chant in Tibetan the verse on emptiness from the end of the Vajra Cutter Sutra; the sound of the chanting reverberated throughout the entire building. During the symposium, His Holiness joined by José Cabezón, a professor of Buddhist studies at University of California, Santa Barbara, and Dr. Eben Alexander, a neurosurgeon and bestselling author discussed rebirth. Before leaving Maitripa, His Holiness took time to greet the crowd outside of Maitripa, which had been able to watch the program on a gigantic truck-mounted screen. Neighbors, members of the larger Maitripa community and local Tibetans all had the opportunity to wave and smile as His Holiness said hello. And then, His Holiness was off to an afternoon engagement at the University of Oregon in Eugene, where His Holiness was hosted by the University of Oregon and the Eugene Sakya Center. The events of the following day, Saturday, May 11, were back in Portland at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, where speakers addressed the topic Universal Responsibility and the Global Environment. In addition to His Holiness, Oregon elected officials, including U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer, Governor John Kitzhaber and Portland Mayor Charlie Hales; Canadian scientist and environmental activist David Suzuki; and Oregon environmental leader Andrea Durbin talked to the soldout audience of 10,000. Having established universal values and spiritual motivations during the Thursday session, Yangsi Rinpoche envisioned Saturday s session as moving the discussion of the environment away from the abstract to tangible issues and solutions, Maitripa s Leigh Sangster said. Yangsi Rinpoche often emphasizes how Maitripa College was founded on three pillars scholarship, meditation and service. So hosting the environmental summit relates to the service aspect, Leigh explained. Rinpoche and Maitripa created a platform for His Holiness to address environmental issues, which resonate with the Pacific Northwest community and connect directly to peace and developing a more compassionate world. But perhaps most importantly, Rinpoche wanted the summit to be inspiring. Ultimately, Rinpoche told us, as science, technologies and conditions on the planet change, so too will our solutions need to change. This 28 Mandala July - September 2013

29 His Holiness the Dalai Lama watches a video of Lama Zopa Rinpoche with Ven. Holly Ansett, Tenzin Ösel Hita, George Williams and Yangsi Rinpoche, FPMT International Office, Portland, Oregon, U.S., May 10, Photo by Leah Nash; Lama Zopa Rinpoche offers His Holiness a silver Dharmachakra from more than 7,000 miles [11,000 kilometers] away, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, May Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang. will be possible when people are inspired, aware and motivated to keep their behaviors in alignment with an understanding of their impact upon others and the Earth. The afternoon session with His Holiness closed with the manifestation of young Yangsi Rinpoche s vision; the 10,000 khatas that volunteers had distributed to everyone in the audience fluttered open and were all at once raised up in offering to His Holiness. It was so amazing, said khata-organizer Donna Brown. I looked around the coliseum and it was like a blizzard everything was white. Looking out over the khatas, now draped around audience members necks, His Holiness explained the significance of offering the scarves that it brought together an Indian tradition with Chinese silk and Tibetan symbols. He stressed that for it to be meaningful, unity and warm-heartedness must be part of one s life. Then, with Yangsi Rinpoche in a deep bow and His Holiness resting his hand on Rinpoche s head, His Holiness praised Rinpoche s previous incarnation as a top scholar, adding, Rinpoche is very sincere, a very nice person, and has been so from a young age. As a parting thought, His Holiness instructed, I m always mentioning that mentally, emotionally and physically we are the same human being. So the potential which I have and that I use you also have that same potential. You must realize that potential and utilize that potential as much as you can. Then you will be a happy person and live a meaningful life. For more information on Maitripa College, visit To read the complete news coverage of the summit, visit Mandala has more online, including photos, an interview with David Suzuki and practitioner reflections on environmental action. Plus, listen to His Holiness talk with radio producer Anthony Denselow on karma, the mind and changing our minds. Visit mandalamagazine.org. His Holiness Visits International Office Before His Holiness the Dalai Lama spoke at Maitripa College on May 10, His Holiness visited FPMT International Office on the second floor of the building it shares with Maitripa. FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche had planned to be in Portland to welcome His Holiness, but word came a few days before the event that Rinpoche would not be coming to the United States and would instead remain in Nepal. Tenzin Ösel Hita, the recognized reincarnation of FPMT founder Lama Yeshe and a current FPMT board member, was in attendance and assumed the responsibility of offering His Holiness a body, speech and mind mandala on behalf of FPMT. His Holiness was also presented with a letter from Lama Zopa Rinpoche and a short video recording of Rinpoche offering a silver Dharmachakra. His Holiness read the letter intently and watched the video with apparent delight. This is the first time that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has visited FPMT International Office. The visit was an incredible blessing for the Office and the entire organization and all of its activities, said Ven. Roger Kunsang, CEO of FPMT and assistant to Lama Zopa Rinpoche. The visit was organized very well by Maitripa and will bring enormous benefit in the future. Thank you to Yangsi Rinpoche and the students of Maitripa for such excellent service, truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Lama Zopa Rinpoche has mentioned recently, the merit created in offering service in this way to His Holiness is way beyond the ordinary imagination! We pray that as an organization the FPMT can continue to offer service to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the embodiment of the Buddha of Compassion. July - September 2013 Mandala 29

30 DHARMA AND THE MODERN WORLD His Holiness the Sakya Trizin Visits FPMT International Office and Maitripa College On May 12, following on the heels of His Holiness the Dalai Lama s three-day trip to Portland, His Holiness the Sakya Trizin visited the FPMT International Office and Maitripa College, where he was welcomed with khatas by FPMT staff and board members as well as participants of the FPMT North American Regional Meeting. His Holiness arrived at the building shared by International Office and Maitripa College directly from offering a White Tara empowerment at the Northwest Tibetan Cultural Association in Portland. His Holiness toured International Office, during which time he blessed many holy objects. His Holiness was offered a body, speech and mind mandala on behalf of FPMT, and Lama Zopa Rinpoche s greetings were conveyed to His Holiness. Then His Holiness gave a teaching on Parting from the Four Attachments, four lines spoken by Manjushri to the Sakya patriarch Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, in the Jokhang of Maitripa College. Students, community members and FPMT representatives sat elbow to elbow during His Holiness clear and engaging commentary. Although many in the crowd had been working non-stop for days on end, His Holiness received a very warm and enthusiastic response and audience members were most grateful for the visit. From top: His Holiness the Sakya Trizin blessing the Red Tara statue in International Office; Yangsi Rinpoche offering a body, speech and mind mandala to His Holiness in Maitripa College s Jokhang. Photos by Chodrung Jamyang. 30 Mandala July - September 2013

31 THE INTERNATIONAL MERIT BOX PROJECT WE ALL HAVE A WORD FOR GENEROSITY: generøsitet vrijgevigheid suuremeelsus kagandahang-loob hào phóng générosité generosità Großzügigkeit щедрость generosidade kemurahan generositet gavmildhet Generozitatea You can participate in this year's Merit Box campaign by ordering your own Merit Box for FREE from the Foundation Store. We are accepting donations until March July - September 2013 Mandala 31

32 DHARMA AND THE MODERN WORLD Inconceivably Beneficial: Hosting His Holiness in Delhi By Ven. Kabir Saxena Lama Zopa Rinpoche has always maintained that it s inconceivably beneficial to give beings the opportunity to see and hear His Holiness the Dalai Lama. So we at Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre in New Delhi should rightly rejoice that we ve been able to do this 20 times since the early 1980s! This year on March 9, our 20th Dharma Celebration co-hosted with Tibet House in New Delhi felt especially meaningful. The outdoor event took place in front of a beautiful Buddha statue that was sponsored by His Holiness. Two decades ago, His Holiness offered the statue to the Indian people in gratitude for the gift of Dharma that transformed Tibet into the spiritual powerhouse of the planet. The trees, bushes, water and ducks around us servedasareminderthatwearepartofthe Mother Earth, which is under great stress right now from man s depredations. Also significant this year were the many volunteers, about 70, from Ladakh, a region of northern India where Buddhism has been an important part of the life and culture for many centuries. The Ladakhi volunteers enthusiastically did their work, organizing all facets of the event. Many of them are also sincere students of the Dharma. There were also volunteers from Jawaharlal Nehru University where Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre director Renuka Singh teaches. This means that young people were exposed to His Holiness and the Three Principal Aspects of the Path to Enlightenment, which was His Holiness topic for the afternoon. His Holiness seemed very enthusiastic to give us a fullerthan-full presentation, since the program went one-and-a-half His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Renuka Singh at Tushita s 20th Delhi Dharma Celebration, India, March Photo courtesy of Ven. Kabir Saxena. hours beyond the scheduled time. Photos from the event show His Holiness energetic and beaming in front of a focused audience, who sat through a hot afternoon with rapt attention. Looking forward, perhaps the main challenge for us as organizers is to bring even more Indian faces to these events, meaning Indian people from the Indo-Gangetic plain and points south. We look forward to the 21st Dharma Celebration. Perhaps Lama Zopa Rinpoche will be there joining in! We pray for such joy! Ven. Kabir Saxena has been working in FPMT centers since the late 1970s and currently serves as SPC at Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre in New Delhi. His Holiness the Dalai Lama s Visit to Switzerland By Séverine Gondouin His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Switzerland, April At the invitation of Gendun Drupa Centre, the FPMT center in Muraz/Sierre, Switzerland; Rigdzin Community; and the Foundation for the Preservation of the Culture of Tibet, His Holiness taught in Fribourg April on The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment by Atisha Dipamkara, conferred a White Tara initiation and gave a public talk on Ethics Beyond Religions. On April 15, His Holiness met with scientists from Lausanne University for a discussion on Living and Dying in Peace, Cross-views on the Elderly. The next day, His Holiness went to Bern to dialogue with university students in a session called Towards a Sustainable Future. You can read more on His Holiness visit to Switzerland online at mandalamagazine.org. Find Gendun Drupa Centre online at To keep up-to-date with the activities of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, visit dalailama.com. 32 Mandala July - September 2013

33 His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Maitripa President Yangsi Rinpoche, faculty, alumni, & the graduating class of 2013 at Maitripa, Portland, Oregon ~ photo by Marc Sakamoto Join the growing MAITRIPA COLLEGE scholastic community! Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies (MA) A unique immersion in contemplative education integrating Tibetan scholar-practitioner training with a Western Religious Studies approach to Buddhism Classical Tibetan Language Summer Intensive Learn to translate the sacred texts of Tibetan Buddhism Master of Divinity (MDiv) A pioneering professional degree which is training a new generation of Buddhist chaplains, spiritual leaders, activists, & compassionate caregivers Continuing Education Courses Onsite & online courses for personal & professional development registration open now for summer & fall 2013 programs & courses ~ visit website for details: ~ info@maitripa.org scholarship. meditation. service July - September 2013 Mandala 33

34 FEATURED PROJECT Stupa to Minimize Harm from the Elements: A Critically Important Project Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Khadro-la doing prayers in the mountains of Ax-les-Thermes, France, September Photo by Ven. Roger Kunsang. After receiving news that scientists were predicting the likelihood of a huge earthquake and possible tsunami on the West Coast of the United States, Lama Zopa Rinpoche asked Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drolma (Khadro-la) what could be done to minimize the damage to people and property. In response, Khadro-la had a vision of a particular landscape and stupa that could be of benefit. On hearing this, Rinpoche took on the responsibility to actualize this stupa for the benefit of those who could be affected. The stupa as envisioned by Khadro-la is now planned to be built near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. According to Khadro-la, the stupa should be 30-feet [9-meters] high and built on a high, square base. Around the central stupa in the four corners of the square platform, there should be four different stupas, one in each corner. The shape, color, size and details have all been advised by Khadro-la and have special relevance for pacifying the elements and thus reducing harm. Khadro-la has explained that this stupa will be different from any other stupa because its purpose is so specific. To be clear, the building of stupas will not stop the earthquakes and tsumanis, Khadro-la explained. They are just to benefit a little bit sentient beings. It s not to fight against the forces of nature or eliminate all those things. Rinpoche asked me to help. Since Rinpoche is always thinking about benefiting others at all times, it is all being done in this light. Lama Zopa Rinpoche recommends building holy objects, such as stupas, as a way for sentient beings to create merit, purify negative karma, and heal sickness, among many other benefits. According to Rinpoche just seeing a holy object can help mitigate the effects of natural disasters and serve as an antidote to war, famine and disease. Rinpoche explained, Even if you teach Dharma to sentient beings, not everyone comes to listen; some are not interested; some are children and some are old people and so they cannot come. [However,] if you make holy objects, not only inside but especially outside in public places, then everyone can see believers and nonbelievers everybody gets so much benefit. Because of the power of the holy object it doesn t require deep devotion or faith to gain all these benefits. We do have a way that we can reduce the effect of a big earthquake on the West Coast of the USA, Lama Zopa Rinpoche s wrote to FPMT students in November Therefore, it is wise to do something about it before it is too late. Otherwise, it is like trying to prevent your death after you die. If anyone can help with this project, it will be greatly appreciated and could save an incredible amount of lives and damage to buildings and other types of structures. Khadro-la recently commented that the stupa is going to be hard to actualize but that we must do everything we can and make every effort to build the stupa for the benefit of all beings. Donations of any size are being accepted now to help actualize this critical and important project as quickly as possible. To keep up on the latest news regarding the Stupa to Minimize Harm from the Elements or to make a donation, please visit: FPMT supports dozens of beneficial projects as a way of building a more compassionate world; learn more by visiting: 34 Mandala July - September 2013

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36 FPMT EDUCATION With beginner to advanced level study programs; at-home, online, and group learning opportunities; digital and hardcopy materials, meditation supplies, ritual items, and holy objects; clear and accurate translations of fundamental texts; and select scholarships, we have what you need to reach your Buddhist study and practice goals. FPMT EDUCATION SERVICES is the education department of FPMT International Office and develops study programs, practice materials, translations and trainings designed to foster an integration of four broad education areas: study, practice, service and behavior. fpmt.org/education ONLINE LEARNING: Perhaps you ve studied Buddhism for years in a town with no Buddhist center and feel you have no one to talk to about progressing on the path. Maybe you already participate in online social forums and would love to do so with a spiritual community. Or perhaps a question arises at 3:00 a.m. that needs an answer ASAP. The FPMT Online Learning Center provides an enormous opportunity for students to engage in the comprehensive programs developed by FPMT Education Services in the comfort of their own homes. onlinelearning.fpmt.org SHOP: The FPMT Foundation Store provides a vast selection of Buddhist study materials, Dharma material for children, meditation supplies and more. shop.fpmt.org

37 We look forward to helping you begin or strengthen your Buddhist education. Please be in touch with any questions you may have: Prayers and Practices Books Sadhanas and Practice Materials MP3 Downloads PDF Prayers and Practices for your Kindle or ipad Study Programs Suitable for All Levels At Home or Online Learning

38 EDUCATION FPMT Education Services Education is the very heart of FPMT. Through comprehensive study programs, practice materials, training programs and scholarships, FPMT Education Services nourishes the development of compassion and wisdom in students worldwide. These programs and materials are available through the FPMT Foundation Store, the FPMT Online Learning Center and FPMT centers worldwide. The Ten Non-Virtues Their Results, and Protecting Oneself and Others from Harm As Buddhists, when we engage in discussions about the declining condition of our environment; disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis or hurricanes; or other unfortunate natural tragedies of our world, we must take to heart the potent (and at times painful) teachings about karma and the causes for why we suffer at the individual and collective levels. Samantabhadra Card for Protection 38 Mandala July - September 2013

39 In a letter to the FPMT community in 2007, Lama Zopa Rinpoche said: In order for oneself and others to have a healthy life I don t mean healthy in the sense of diet and exercise, I am talking about a healthy life in the sense of one s mind and attitude, the actions of one s body, speech and mind being positive, healthy, virtuous and pure the main cause for this is to abstain as much as possible from negative actions, which result in suffering. This means actions done with negative mind, with ignorance, anger, attachment and the self-cherishing thought. One way to do this is to abstain from the ten non-virtuous actions, which are killing, stealing, telling lies and so forth. In Christianity, there are also the Ten Commandments. Don t harm others, and then you will not receive harm from others. Even if a child shoots you, or an unknown person shoots you, or an animal attacks you, or mosquitoes bite you, or an ant bites you, or even the tiniest insect harms you.... This includes all the problems in the world, from suicide up to war. All your suffering and happiness is due to either a lack of education of mind or a correct education of mind. Here, what I am suggesting is at least to avoid the ten non-virtues, at least as much as possible. In 2012, FPMT Education Services published a useful reference to help us work with our actions and their results. The Ten Non-Virtues and Their Results with Teachings from Lama Zopa Rinpoche is a 40-page booklet that includes teachings on non-virtue and karma by Lama Zopa Rinpoche; a comprehensive outline of the ten nonvirtues and their results compiled from various lam-rim texts by Ven. Sangye Khadro; and a simple Vajrasattva practice for purifying negative karma. Also available is a convenient shorter version of the booklet that is just the outline compiled by Ven. Khadro. Education Services also recently created a beautifully designed card of Lama Zopa Rinpoche s translation of The Practice of Virtue, a concise prayer reminding us of the power of karma and importance of virtue. The card features the calligraphy of Jane Seidlitz. Because we are ordinary beings and still make mistakes, it can be helpful to have additional protection to supplement our understanding of the ten non-virtues. To benefit us, Lama Zopa Rinpoche designed a Samantabhadra Card for Protection. About the card, Rinpoche said, This Samantabhadra protection is from the great lama Thugyen Chokyi Nyima. It eliminates any bad thing and creates both outer and inner success. We can also help protect others from harm with objects like the Padmasambhava crystal, engraved with a mantra to bless water. You can use this crystal for water offered to yourself or others. Lama Zopa Rinpoche is interested in putting this mantra into the wells in Bodhgaya, India, to help purify the karma of the local people. He also used this mantra in water that he gave monkeys at Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre in Delhi. Students in New Zealand have even placed these Padmasmbhava crystals in lakes and rivers, which you can read more about as a part of Mandala July-September 2013 s online content. For the above mentioned materials as well as other protection items, please visit the FPMT Foundation Store at shop.fpmt.org. Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom By the FDCW team The Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom (FDCW) is an international project of the FPMT, established in 2005, to help all beings lead a happier, more peaceful and meaningful life. It achieves this through providing educational programs and projects rooted in Buddhist philosophy and psychology yet suitable for people of all cultures and traditions. This collection of programs and projects comprises Universal Education for Compassion and Wisdom. We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee. MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN, CHILDREN S RIGHTS ACTIVIST When it comes to complex issues such as the environment and global warming, the thought of making a positive difference can seem daunting. Universal Education for Compassion and Wisdom, like Buddhism, proposes that change starts with the individual. Whereas prominent nongovernmental organizations such as the Red Cross, Greenpeace and the Worldwide July - September 2013 Mandala 39

40 EDUCATION Fund for Nature focus on the physical needs of the inhabitants on this planet, we believe it is of equal importance to attend to our inner needs and development. Qualities such as kindness, forgiveness, patience and mental resilience are indispensable for tackling the challenges and problems of the age that we live in. The Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom s long-term vision is therefore to enable hundreds of thousands of people worldwide to develop and model positive qualities such as these and actively bring them into their personal and professional lives. Following the advice of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, work is now underway on a new set of learning programs, designed to offer a solid and lasting foundation of knowledge and experience to anyone who wants to take Universal Education out into the world. The goal is to start delivering the learning programs internationally from 2015 onwards, first in English, and then in a variety of languages. It s a big undertaking that will involve many different people authors, scholars and experienced educators and we look forward to keeping you up-to-date with progress through Mandala. You can also visit our website and join our mailing list. Great Global Shift gathering, Argentina. Photo courtesy of Ale Almada. Transformative Mindfulness Methods News By Dekyi-Lee Oldershaw In a world where we often feel stuck in hopelessness and helplessness, an intervention strategy that is showing it has the ability to transform suffering and demoralization is something we wish to explore and understand. We welcome Transformative Mindfulness Methods to the palette of mindfulness and mindfulness meditation strategies we are teaching at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. MICHELE CHABAN, DIRECTOR OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL APPLIED MINDFULNESS MEDITATION CERTIFICATE PROGRAM,UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO Our FPMT family has a tremendous milestone in which to rejoice! Transformative Mindfulness Methods (TMM), an associate program of FDCW, will be offered for the first time in collaboration with the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto, which means a new international family of practitioners can train to use these simple and accessible methods to help others. The distance learning program starts June 22, A full series of courses will then be offered from October 2013 through to June TMM offers Buddhist thought transformation through the embodied mind by using mindfulness, inquiry through receptive visualization, drawing and writing in accessible formats to create substantial shifts in perspective, the deepening of compassion and the cultivation of wisdom. These methods use bodhichitta and lojong so they have great benefit, Lama Zopa Rinpoche has said of TMM. Over 12 FPMT centers in Europe, Malaysia, New Zealand, and North and South America have offered TMM courses in five languages and facilitators are now using them in social services, education and healthcare. Here are some examples of how TMM is being used in various settings: Argentina Ale Almada, TMM s first Spanish-speaking facilitator, saw a need for these kinds of methods in Epuyén in the Patagonia region, which had suffered two volcanic eruptions recently, resulting in towns buried or covered with ash and constant fires. Men, women, children, pets, farm and wild animals continue to face physical, mental and spiritual challenges, she reported. Those directly affected had to leave their homes, lost their jobs and put their health at risk. Anger, frustration, depression, anguish and fear surface quickly, and powerlessness is present. With few reliable methods available, the need to provide efficient, ready-to-use mental tools became a priority. Ale realized that TMM would benefit people of all ages and beliefs, so she 40 Mandala July - September 2013

41 started leading the Great Global Shift meditation on the first of each month. We come together as a group every month at the Samantabhadra Stupa [in Epuyén] as a way to help each other to overcome these feelings. By sitting together, exchanging ourselves with someone else or a situation that causes us inner anguish, we mentally work to change hopelessness, fear or other negative feelings that arise into wisdom and clarity. After experiencing these TMM methods, a group of women decided to create a healing space to work with the terminally ill and cancer patients. Ale and her group have now run four different programs and their aim is to continue supporting and training local coordinators so that more people are enabled to use these methods to alleviate physical and mental suffering. Canada Craig Mackie, a Canadian social worker with youth at risk, has been facilitating Transformative Mindfulness Methods since He often combines them with the 16 Guidelines to add a deeper dimension of secular ethics and universal responsibility and has introduced them to academics, environmental activists, therapists and educators at two conferences in Toronto. The primary Transformative Mindfulness method that I used was Transforming Problems Receptive Visualization, Mackie explained. Participants explored various issues of social and environmental justice that they faced their frustration, anger, sense of hopelessness and passion. Inner questioning and inquiry helped them to access the wisdom needed to approach these issues with compassion and embodied understanding. It was an intense hour and a half with deep insight about how to act from the heart when faced with complex global issues. Slovenia Mirjana Dechen, coordinator of Chagna Pemo Study Group in Slovenia and the international project coordinator for Transformative Mindfulness Methods, has championed the Great Global Shift meditation in Slovenia. I was concerned about the situation in Slovenia, with everyone feeling powerless, Mirjana said. I realized that we needed to do a national Slovenian Great Global Shift videostreamed event. Those who participated were deeply moved at how simply they found a source of benefit within themselves for challenging times. The meditation was the day before an important presidential election. I felt we contributed in some small way as the president chosen was a total surprise. For more information about the free Great Global Shift tele-meditation (on the first day of each month) or to experience the main Transforming Problems Receptive Visualization, visit There s more from FDCW online! Visit mandalamagazine.org to read about Proyecto Tushita, a Universal Education program in Mexico City, Mexico. July - September 2013 Mandala 41

42 YOUR COMMUNITY By Bob Brintz I Will Be Paralyzed and Happy ALS [amyotrophic lateral sclerosis also known as Lou Gehrig s disease] is typically described as an incurable, untreatable, progressive, terminal disease that gradually causes total paralysis before it kills you within two to five years of onset. My experience with ALS began in early 2007 with an initial reaction of panic, fear, astonishment and disbelief; and a promise to my children that I would do everything in my power to survive. Now, I m almost totally paralyzed. My arms, legs and hands are useless. I can no longer speak or swallow. I take water and liquid food through a tube in my stomach and require a ventilator connected to a tube in my throat in order to breath. I require the assistance of caregivers 24/7 (24 hours a day, seven days a week). I am typing this article with my eyes, using a computer that can also speak what I type. For six years, ALS has been my constant teacher. It has taught me that the human spirit is capable of embracing the full measure of life s joy despite the presence of a profoundly disabling disease. I have also come to recognize that the mental anguish that most people with the disease experience is far more life-threatening than its relentless progression. End-stage ALS occurs when the muscles of the diaphragm become too weak to support breathing, resulting in respiratory failure and death by suffocation. A person with ALS (PALS) can extend his or her life theoretically indefinitely by electing to have a tracheotomy (a breathing tube inserted in the neck) and a small portable ventilator (vent) that pumps air into the lungs. The decision whether to use a vent or not is controversial among PALS. Most PALS are confronted with this decision after they have already experienced profound loss of motor functioning and are dependent on caregivers and assistive technology in almost every aspect of daily living. They will have experienced unspeakable helplessness, frustration, fear and discomfort and have been rendered more vulnerable to potentially life-ending illnesses and mishaps. They will have seen the suffering of family members who are forced to watch them deteriorate. Each significant progression of the disease poses additional physical insults and limitations to adjust to and more losses of prior joys. Life on a vent will be more of the same and may also entail a crushing cost for 24/7 care. This decisionpoint provides a convenient and socially acceptable opportunity for PALS to say, Enough. I don t want to continue to live this way. I m ready to die. Many PALS commit suicide even before reaching this decision. Personally, I am dismayed that only about 10 percent of PALS choose to live, while a disheartening 90 percent elect to die. I believe the decision to die is a tragic and avoidable waste of human potential. Why do so many PALS opt to die? I think it s because of our self-cherishing egos. We form a self-image having capabilities, qualities, and a degree of independence, and experiencing so many pleasures, which paralysis simply does not allow. We spend a lifetime developing and reinforcing our self-image, becoming so attached to this creation of our mind, this selfdelusion, that we become devastated when our reality rises up to smash it to bits. Thankfully, there are powerful antidotes to such thinking. I don t know of any body of knowledge that presents a more compelling solution than the Dharma. Here are eight lessons of Dharma and ALS that have helped me to live: 1. The second noble truth the truth of the causes of suffering tells us that all suffering is a mental phenomenon caused by the karmic fruits of ignorance and attachment, especially self-cherishing. If we can overcome these mental afflictions, we can be happy, regardless of our external circumstances. 2. The first noble truth the truth of suffering tells us that human existence is rife with loss and suffering. No one is spared. ALS certainly heightens one s awareness of this truth. Dharma teaches us that the only reasonable solution is universal kindness and compassion. (Imagine a world in which everyone shared this view.) 3. The third of the six perfections is patience. I try to practice patience with those who unwittingly cause me physical pain or 42 Mandala July - September 2013

43 Bob Brintz rests in the Grand Canyon, United States, a year after being diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig s disease). Photo courtesy of Bob Brintz. discomfort; patience with my own limitations as well as those of others; patience waiting for a cure; patience as the perfect antidote to frustration and anger; patience at all times as a potent calming and pacifying agent. ALS is my perfect teacher of patience. 4. From meditation on impermanence and death we learn that this life is as fleeting as a small flame in a strong wind. We also learn how rare this human existence is. ALS demonstrates the truths of impermanence and death. I now savor every moment as a precious gift and opportunity to project love and kindness into the world. 5. My rudimentary understanding of emptiness suggests that no disease can take away anyone s independence. Independence is a delusion based on ignorance. We are all inextricably bound together in a web of interdependence. 6. Self-cherishing is the most afflictive of all thoughts. Cherishing others sets one free. 7. The Dharma and ALS have taught me the true meaning of hope. Hope isn t about a desired outcome or about the future; it is a constant mindset that embraces the positive potential of this very moment. 8. The Dharma also teaches us the transformational mechanics of cultivating positive thinking. Visualization, introspective awareness, mindfulness, ruthless selectivity in the kinds of thoughts I will allow, equanimity, contemplation and analytical meditation are the tools I have borrowed to root out negativity. Early on, I began to visualize myself in a wheelchair, paralyzed and happy. My mantra was: I will be paralyzed and happy. I will not inflict my suffering on others. I can do this. When I discovered that I could no longer ride my road bike because my fingers had become too weak to work the brakes and gears, I had a good cry. While I was crying, I resolved that for every future loss I would allow myself one good cry and then let it go. I resolved not to dwell on the losses, but to rejoice in what I could still do. When I lost the use of my right hand, I rejoiced that I still had the use of my left hand. I was grateful for the many years of good service my right hand had given me. Today, I can still see and hear and think and love and be loved. Assistive technology enables me to eat, breath and communicate. I play an active role in the life of my family. I keep abreast of local, national and world news. I m busy and productive every day. I have met and embraced the Dharma. My life is full of joy. Those who are able to cultivate the ability to focus on the positives, to develop an unwavering sense of hope, and to remain calm and equanimous in the face of adversity, will have the capacity to live vibrantly with ALS. Sadly, so many have been unable to find their true path to survival. I am determined to change this. I pray that the most precious Guru-Buddha bless me to be able to do this. Sixty-four-year-old former attorney Bob Brintz, a student of Lama Zopa Rinpoche from Texas, United States, lives with ALS (Lou Gehrig s disease) and is almost completely paralyzed. Through his writings on the website patientslikeme.com, borrowing heavily from Buddhist teachings, he tries to encourage other ALS patients that they too can transform their way of thinking to one that allows joyful living with ALS. His posts on patientslikeme.com include A Path to Survival, A Path to Survival II: The Roadmap and The Darkness. You can also find links to Bob s writing with Mandala s online content for this issue, mandalamagazine.org. July - September 2013 Mandala 43

44 YOUR COMMUNITY Rejoicing Is a Remedy Against Jealousy Excerpt of a letter from Lama Zopa Rinpoche to Bob Brintz: Rejoicing is also a remedy against jealousness. In the West, this is a very good practice, even for non-believers, because if you are jealous of somebody else, that prevents others fulfilling their wishes, and through that, it prevents you from fulfilling your wishes. It creates the karma for this. So not only does jealousy harm others, but it also harms you. That s what happens in reality, but people who don t understand Dharma don t realize this. That means the majority of people in the world. (Not only in this world, but in numberless universes and all the sentient beings in the six realms.) You can t imagine. So, practice the opposite of jealousy and rejoice. For example, if other people have a beautiful house rejoice, How wonderful it is they have this beautiful house. If somebody Lama Zopa Rinpoche giving Bob Brintz bodhisattva vows over Skype in September Bob took the vows by blinking and having his computer speak for him. has a good car rejoice, How good it is they have this car. If somebody has got a huge amount of money rejoice, How good it is that person has this money. If somebody has found a good friend and that is what they wanted rejoice, How good it is that person fulfilled their wishes. And so on like that. When you rejoice, psychologically you are keeping your mind in a happy state. Jealousy brings the mind down. It makes the mind sad and leads to depression. Rejoicing causes others to fulfill their wish for happiness temporary happiness as well as ultimate happiness, liberation from samsara; as well as full enlightenment, peerless happiness. And by rejoicing, your own wish for happiness gets fulfilled your wish for temporary happiness, ultimate liberation from samsara and full enlightenment. This is how karma works. You can read the complete letter from Lama Zopa Rinpoche to Bob Brintz in the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Online Advice Book on Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive s website. To find the link, visit This Issue on mandalamagazine.org. 44 Mandala July - September 2013

45 The FPMT Basic Program at Nalanda Monastery: Round Two! By Ven. Tenzin Namgyal FPMT Basic Program graduates from Nalanda Monastery with Geshe Jamphel. From left to right: Lara Costa, Ven. Kerry Prest, Ven. Losang Gendun, Ven. Sonam Tharchin, Ven. Tenzin Yonten, Begoña Iglesias, Ven. Tenzin Gendun. Photo by Hermann Wittekopf. On February 18, we started our second round of the FPMT Basic Program (BP) a five-year, in-depth, twelvesubject course of study designed by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. It is an intensive study program that integrates Dharma teachings with meditation and practice. Currently there are 36 new students attending the BP from all over the world, including Australia, South America, Europe, the United States and Britain. Unlike any other FPMT Basic Program, here at Nalanda Monastery the course is held in three languages: English, Spanish and French. With so many different cultures and languages, it makes for a very diverse and dynamic place to study the Buddha s teachings. As we welcomed the new BP students, we also had the opportunity to celebrate and rejoice in the extraordinary achievements of the nine graduates from the first Basic Program. Students were awarded their FPMT Basic Program Completion Certificates signed by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Geshe Jamphel in a graduation ceremony. In line with the custom of the great Tibetan monasteries, the students also received a few gifts from Geshe Jamphel in honor of their achievements. Out of 85 people to have joined the BP over the five years, these nine committed students were able to complete all components of the program. Their commitment to study included attending over 2,200 hours of teachings, having over 1,200 hours of discussion sessions, attending over 450 guided meditation sessions, and spending three months reviewing the entire content of the Basic Program before sitting for the final exam consisting of questions relating to the five years of study. All of this culminated in a three-month lam-rim retreat. Needless to say, these students put in a phenomenal amount of study above and beyond the time spent in the classroom. To these nine students Ven. Tenzin Gendun, Ven. Sonam Tharchin, Ven. Tenzin Yonten, Ven. Losang Gendun, Ven. Losang Thubten, Ven. Kerry Prest, Ven. Losang Gyaltsen, Lara Costa, and Begoña Iglesias congratulations! You are all a wonderful inspiration to the monks of Nalanda Monastery and the Nalanda community. For many of you who will be joining the FPMT Masters Program later in the year, may your studies be a continual source of inspiration and benefit for all others. Already, two of these students have been accepted as FPMT registered teachers. And as Geshe Jamphel says, you never stop learning. New students are welcome to join the Basic Program at the start of any new subject over the five years. Information on both the Basic Program and the Masters Program can be found on the Nalanda Monastery website: For more detailed information, please contact Basic Program coordinator Ven. Tenzin Namgyal at basic-program@nalanda-monastery.eu or Masters Program coordinator Ven. Kerry Prest at masters-program@nalanda-monastery.eu. July - September 2013 Mandala 45

46 Chenrezig Institute, Eudlo, Queensland, Australia, April Photo by Hannah Millerick. The Bridge Between Buddhism and the West: Rob Preece on Western Psychology and Buddhism In 1973, Rob Preece met Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Nepal at a Kopan Course. Since then, he has developed a knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism and psychotherapy. Rob draws from both traditions in meditation retreats and workshops as well as in the books he has authored. He was interviewed by Mandala in May Mandala July - September 2013

47 YOUR COMMUNITY Mandala: How did your interest in the relationship between Buddhism and Western psychology develop? Rob: I met both Buddhism and the work of Jung while I was at university studying psychology, so these two have been alongside each other since that time. I met the Lamas [Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche] in Nepal in A few years later, in 1976, Lama Yeshe came to the UK, where I live, and it was clear he was interested in the link between Eastern and Western psychology. He always encouraged me to explore this connection. When I was in India in retreat in the early 1980s, I was reading some of Jung s collected works alongside my tantric practice. It was partly out of that that the book The Psychology of Buddhist Tantra began to emerge. When I returned to the West in 1985, I trained to be a psychotherapist and since that time I have taught many workshops on comparative Jungian psychology and Buddhism. Mandala: There seems to be a growing recognition that our Western psychological problems may not be easily understood by Tibetan teachers. What are your thoughts on this? Rob: In the West, we grow up in a particularly challenging environment where the demands and pressures of Western culture have a strong psychological impact on us. The dysfunctional nature of our family life, for many people, also causes a great deal of emotional and psychological wounding. Teachers from the East have not experienced this and so are often surprised by the degree of emotional problems we have and are sometimes unclear as to what will actually help. They have also not been educated in a psychological understanding of the kinds of problems we have. So why would we assume they know what we need? Over the past years, I have worked with many Buddhist practitioners who have psychological difficulties particularly arising from early childhood, such as a chronic lack of self-worth or depression. Often they have found traditional teachings do not always help. One reason for this is that in Buddhism there is no model of the psychological development of our sense of self-identity and the ego. Buddhism begins at a place of relative maturity where it is assumed that we already have a well-established or strong sense of self. The problem is that for many of us in the West we do not have a well-developed healthy sense of self because of wounding in childhood. If the psychological problems that arise from childhood are then not addressed, we can easily put a veneer of spiritual practice and sometimes quite profound spiritual experiences over deep unresolved psychological problems. This is what John Welwood called spiritual bypassing. In mentoring contexts, I meet many people who have practiced Buddhism for years, even done long retreats, and yet find they have not resolved chronic emotional or psychological issues. Mandala: Is there something Dharma centers and teachers can do to help with these issues? Rob: I would say that there are a number of things that would be beneficial for centers and teachers to do. One is to begin to take seriously that we cannot always resolve everything by Dharma practice alone and that psychological help of some form is sometimes needed. What I personally believe is that teachers, Western and Tibetan, should learn more about Western psychology. I think the complexity of Western psychological problems is such that psychological understanding needs to be added to Buddhist thinking. I feel one of the beauties of Buddhism is that it has the capacity to evolve in this way. I also think it would be helpful for Western teachers to study counseling or possibly psychotherapy so that they have a deeper understanding of what helps Western psychopathology. Just having knowledge of the Dharma does not mean we are able to apply it to people s complex psychological difficulties. Another thing that would also be beneficial is that we need to apply Buddhist practices in a way that relates more directly to individual psychology so that they actually begin to heal our problems, not just cover them up with lots of intellectual knowledge and formal practices. If we can skillfully use practices in a more creative way, then we can use them to more specifically address our problems. This, I feel, is something that Lama Yeshe understood, and he was willing to be much more creative around practice. Mandala: Can you share something about the retreat series that you ll be leading at Vajrapani Institute? Will you be exploring these issues? Rob: There has been a tendency for many of us to take on all kinds of advanced tantric practices but not really have grounding in meditation and how to actually work with tantric practice in a way that becomes a more integrated experience. I want to introduce the practice of tantra much more in the way that Lama Yeshe would, so that we can begin to get a taste of the meditation, not just long sadhana recitations. He emphasized that we actually need to meditate on the experience of the deity and my wish with these retreats is to gradually guide people into meditation experience that goes deeper than conceptual knowledge. In the first retreat, therefore, I want to begin to restore a healthy way in which we relate to our emotional life and the body so that we become a stable vehicle for the potential transformation that tantra can bring. The retreats that then follow will gradually deepen and develop aspects of tantric practice through a training process that will hopefully create a really sound basis of experience. To use Lama Yeshe s expression to taste the chocolate. July - September 2013 Mandala 47

48 YOUR COMMUNITY Mandala: Does examining the relationship between Western psychology and Buddhism offer something to the development of Buddhism? Rob: When Buddhism went into Tibet it took on the flavor of Tibetan culture so that today we need to gradually discern what is Tibetan and what is actually the essence of Buddhism. We inevitably need to ask what is beneficial to Westerners as we integrate Buddhism into the West with our own cultural and psychological background. From my own experience, Western psychology and psychotherapy is learning a great amount from Buddhism, and I think Buddhism grows by learning from Western psychology. I know there are those who are afraid of this because they fear that change will loose the essence of Buddhism, but I do not think this needs to happen. In fact, I feel that we can become rigid and stuck in our beliefs if we do not allow evolution to occur. Western psychological understanding enhances the potential for the Dharma to be beneficial and accessible for Western minds. I feel there is a very rich and inspiring bridge that is unfolding as Buddhism comes to the West. In my own work I am attempting to follow something that Lama Yeshe always encouraged and I feel that he had a vision that was far beyond my comprehension, but was an extraordinary guiding light. What I find is a huge amount of enthusiasm for this, particularly from younger people who are genuinely trying to integrate Buddhism into their lives and who are very open to a more psychological approach. Even older practitioners who have been around for many years say that a psychological bridge starts to make sense of certain things that they could never quite get before. Rob Preece has been practicing Tibetan Buddhism since 1973 and psychotherapy since He is the author of The Psychology of Buddhist Tantra, The Wisdom of Imperfection, The Courage to Feel and Preparing for Tantra. Find Rob online at Rob is leading a series of retreats called Tasting the Essence of Tantra at Vajrapani Institute ( beginning in September There s more from Mandala online, including: A new interview with Ven. Sangye Khadro on in-depth Buddhist study Pam Cayton s tribute to all universal mothers An original idea from New Zealand on how to combine Padmasambava crystals and slingshots For these stories and more, visit mandalamagazine.org! 48 Mandala July - September 2013

49 Tasting T Ta asting the tthhhee Essence Ess ssen ncccee of of Tantra Taannnttra A ffour our yyear ear m meditation edi ed edit d tati tion tio on tr tra training raiinnin inng program progr ogggrram WHAT W WHA HAATT ISS IT HA IT? T? DDesigned T? eessigned esi iggn ig gnedd ass a four foour yyear ear arr pr pprogram ogram ogr am ooff 8 m modules od in total. total. Each Each ach module modu mo odul dulee sta st starts rrts ttss with a 555-day daay rresidential eessiden esi dentitial rretreat etrea eat at ffollowed oollowedd bbyy ongoing ongoi o suppor supportt ooff up ttoo 3 mo mon months. nths t s. THEE EIGH THE EIGHT GHT HT MODULES M MODUL MOOD ODU DUL ULES UL LEES ES 1. BBecoming ecoming a stab stable abl vvessel ab essel right intention 2 AAwakening 2. wakening ngg rig righ ght in ten e tion 3. DDiscovering iscovering ng the thhe na nnature atuure of mind the 4. AAwakening wak akening eninng n th hee en eenergy ener nergy gy bbody body 5. The The h nature n tur na ture of tu o kriya kriyya tan ttantra ta ntr tra shadow 6. Working Work orkking i g wi w with thh the thhe ssh had w had hado 7. The The masculine masculine ulinnee and nd feminine nd feminine e visions 8 The 8. The mandala daalaa aand ndd vvi visissions s of wholeness neesss - Fall Faall Spring Spprring i g Fall Faall Spring SSppprring i g Fall FFaaallll Spring Spprring ing Fall Faall Spring Spprring i g Firstt M First Module oddu Starts odule Star arrts ts SSeptember eptem mb 3-5, mber BETWEEN BET ETTWEEN W N RETREAT RETREA ETTREA TR AATT SUPPORT TR SSUPPOR U POOORRT + Mon Monthly M thly Li Live ve Q&AA + Mon Monthly thly Synopsis Synopsis yn from from m the the instructor instr ins uctor + PPersonal ersonal all Check-in Check heckk-in he - TTime ime with witth Rob Robb PPreece reec e e ROB RO OOBB PPREECE PREECE, CE, a practicing prac a ticing tii ing tici in i Tibetan Tibetan an Buddhist Buddhist uuddhi ddhist for ffoor o the t past ppast 40 yrs and an trained trained edd ass a psychotherapist. ps psy sychother choottthe her her e apist apist. Rob ap Rob Ro ob has h led many many meditation meed medita eddi ation tio i n retreats retr etre reaats introducing inntr troducing od the practices practiices es of thee Tantric Tan antric tric tradition t adittion withh a wish to tr to honor or Lama Lama ma Thubten Thubt hu en Yeshe s Yeeshe s profound pprof o oundd and cr ccreative reaativ tivve approach a oaachh to appr to practice. pr practi actice. Rob is the thhhee authorr of of four fourr books bboookkkss including iincluding, uddin, Psychologoy P Psychologoy of Bu BBuddhist uddhist dddhis h stt Tantra. Taanntr tra. a AM Meditation editation R Retreat etr treat Ce Center nter in in the the California California Redwoods Red dw woood dss d vajrapani.org v a ap aj ajr pani.or an n.o org

50 OBITUARIES Obituaries Lama Zopa Rinpoche requests that students who read Mandala pray that the students whose obituaries follow find a perfect human body, meet a Mahayana guru and become enlightened quickly, or be born in a pure land where the teachings exist and they can become enlightened. While reading these obituaries, we can also reflect upon our own death and rebirth, prompting us to live our lives in the most meaningful way. Advice and practices for death and dying from Lama Zopa Rinpoche are available in the Foundation Store (shop.fpmt.org). Judy Mindrol Chung Lin, 61, died in Pomona, California, United States, February 17, 2013, of breast cancer By Wayne Su Mindrol stopped breathing on February 17. We received advice that the mind had left the body on the morning of March 2. Two days later, her body was taken directly from home to the crematory. During these 15 days, the body showed no signs of decay and no smell, and her facial color changed only after the thirteenth day, when it turned copper brown, with a slight glow. All these were made possible by the blessings of her gurus, her tremendous devotion to them, their teachings, and living those teachings intensely. Mindrol engaged life passionately. One of the rinpoches often told Mindrol that she had a strong mind, so anything was possible. These qualities, for some, made her seem cold and distant, but for the many who came to know her, Mindrol was someone who was kindhearted, compassionate, loving, and full of grace, all packaged behind her radiating smile. She was certainly one of a kind a rare, precious jewel. Mindrol first met Lama Zopa Rinpoche during a Kalachakra teaching in Sydney, Australia, in Since then, she made efforts to be, whenever possible, in a retreat with Rinpoche annually. Additionally, Mindrol completed many personal retreats and received many teachings from Rinpoche and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, as well as other teachers within and outside the Tibetan tradition. Mindrol was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, beginning her search for physical healing and her journey towards expansion and ultimate healing. Although the path was difficult and often extremely painful, she traveled to sacred sites in different parts of the world and encountered amazing teachers. In addition to her practices in the Tibetan tradition, she met teachers from the Native American tradition, Peruvian shamans and a teacher from the Hindu tradition in India. In the process, she transformed and was able to let go of her negative projections on conventional therapies, such as chemotherapy and surgeries. She opened herself up to them. On January 14, 2013, the eve of her fourth surgery in 15 months, she made peace with the key people in her life: her mother, her daughter and her in-laws. In the conversations she had with each of them, she asked for forgiveness, offered her gratitude and concluded with, I love you. A few weeks later, she made peace with herself, resolving her own internal conflicts and projections. As she got closer to her last breath, she radiated more and more child-like beauty and simplicity. When she communicated, either through a mere whisper, through writing or through her eyes, it was pure and concise. Even in her passing, she inspires. In particular, she showed that the dying process is precious and beautiful, and from this, we can realize the importance of engaging life fully and passionately. I AM LOVE is a poem that was gifted by Mindrol s inner guru to Mindrol through a spiritual friend, Ellie Drew. It was recorded and played for her during the last few weeks of her physical life and helped her preparation for her death. It has been translated into 17 languages: Sharon Ettinger, 63, died in Aptos, California, United States, February 17, 2013, of an extended illness By Sandy Ettinger Sharon Ettinger lived a deep inner life, bringing it into focus in a 40-plus-year marriage; several careers; extensive selfless service and simply helping whoever showed up; high adventures of every type imaginable; and an endless sense of joy and wonderment at the world around her. Her positive 50 Mandala July - September 2013

51 nature and constant optimism weren t beliefs or attitudes, they were at the core of her being. She inspired all who knew her and saw the best in everyone by looking through surface structures to see the light within. Sharon was a sparkplug for His Holiness 2001 four-day teachings at the Shoreline Amphitheater in California and the second person to get involved. And for over three years, she handled many of the logistics. She worked extensively with children s charities and found special joy in driving to the airport to be the first to welcome newly adopted infants coming to the United States. And whether in a busy office, the Golden Triangle, the Musée d Orsay or a Zen temple in Kyoto, Sharon saw it all as part of her inner journey, while maintaining a fine sense of style and elegance. Her purpose was to experience and merge with the undifferentiated light of eternity while living a tight, effective, abundant and thoroughly enjoyable life. Sharon was one with nature, seeking out places of beauty, power and stillness for the healing and clarity they provide. She followed her path when it was most difficult, facing whatever the physical world would throw at her with dignity, grace, humor and compassion for all. Via a few Post-it notes found in various places, here s what Sharon would say: The way out is to become still. Live your life in a way that everything you do enhances the lives of others. Cures may not happen, but healing will. Know you re finding a way. She would add her favorite movie quote from Joe Versus the Volcano: My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know. Everybody you see. Everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake and they live in a state of constant total amazement. Mercedes (Mercy) Leon, 65, died in Colombia, February 25, 2013, of sepsis and intestinal obstruction By Claudia Bonitto Mercy Leon met with the Dharma for the first time in 1996 through some close friends. With the first visit of Lama Zopa Rinpoche to Bogotá in 1998, she established a very deep connection with the Dharma that endured until the last day of her life. From the moment she met Rinpoche, Mercy s unconditional dedication, profound generosity and commitment in every sense became a driving force in the development of the Dharma in Bogotá. Her warmhearted attitude towards everyone at Centro Yamantaka was an example for everyone. Mercy was an active member and board member at the center, including organizing the three-day visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2006 to Bogotá, which was a great success. She consistently supported the center, both economically and spiritually. She had a successful catering business, and every donation she made to the center was unrestricted. She hosted almost all of the teachers and lamas who visited Colombia in her country house. Once she hosted Lama Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche for 40 days there. She had all her meals with Rinpoche and sat next to Lama Kirti as he always required. He would give Mercy his plate for her to finish. One day, in the presence of many, Lama Kirti mentioned that Mercy had been his sister in past lives. It was a very emotional moment for everyone present. Although Mercy didn t speak English and the lamas didn t speak Spanish, she always communicated to the lamas fluently, speaking very slowly, as if only the speed was the problem. To our amazement this worked well for her and the lamas! Mercy was an active member of the Educación Universal group too, developing the program, visiting a school once a week to teach and also working with teachers for more than three years. It was a gift having her as a friend. Thank you dear Mercy, for everything, for your smile and precious hugs there are not enough words to express our thanks. Miss Wong Lim Chee, 79, died in Hong Kong, China, March 19, 2013, of cancer By Ven. Pemba Sherpa Miss Wong Lim Chee joined Mahayana Buddhist Association (Cham-Tse-Ling) around the end of 1988 and not long after, worked as the treasurer and secretary of the center. Within a few years, she became director and was a very dedicated member and persistent practitioner. During this period she also traveled to Nepal and India to take teachings and initiations. She engaged in personal retreat practices and met many, many high lamas. Over the years, Miss Wong practiced vigorously: doing retreat and diligently taking classes and attending pujas at Mahayana Buddhist Association. Even after she became sick, she did not miss most of the Guru Pujas, managing to come with the help of her maid. On March 17, she was admitted to the hospital and called around noon to tell us. We thought to visit her that night, but did not manage to go as we were busily preparing for Lama Zopa Rinpoche s arrival on March 18. I arranged an extensive Medicine Buddha puja, recitation of the entire Prajñaparamita Sutra and a few other pujas at Kopan Monastery, dedicating for her. July - September 2013 Mandala 51

52 OBITUARIES The next day, around noon, center co-director Esther Ngai and I visited her in the hospital. I did some prayers and asked her to think about the inseparability of guru and deity, remember bodhichitta and practice the five powers and tong-len. I also offered her some inner offering and phowa pills, and blessed her with a picture of the Guru Puja merit field and a buddha statue given to me by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She seemed in good spirits and her face was glowing and bright. Esther told the maid who served Miss Wong to call her if something serious was happening. Around 2 A.M. on March 19, the maid called Esther. Lama Zopa Rinpoche had already arrived at our center and had just finished dinner and started his prayers with the other Sangha. Esther passed the phone to Rinpoche, and Rinpoche had quite a long talk with Miss Wong and guided her for a while. Then Rinpoche continued prayers and made a long dedication to Miss Wong. It was then about 4:30 A.M. Around 7 P.M. we were informed that Miss Wong had passed away peacefully. How fortunate to be able to wait for Rinpoche to guide her at the very last hours of her life! The people around Miss Wong said that when Rinpoche was talking to her on the phone, she was very much alert and responded to Rinpoche s advice well. After she passed away, Rinpoche asked them to not touch her until the color in her face changed. Rinpoche said it might not take that long, and within 30 minutes, we were told that the color in her face had changed. Then Rinpoche asked about her position and what direction she was facing. Upon getting the information, Rinpoche did phowa immediately. On the same day, Rinpoche advised and offered Medicine Buddha puja, the eight prayers traditionally done in monasteries at time of death and recitation of the Prajñaparamita Sutra done by all the monks and nuns at Kopan Monastery. The same night Rinpoche and the Sangha did Medicine Buddha puja in the center. Rinpoche also sent a list of dedications to Kopan, instructing Sangha how to dedicate for her. Offerings were sent to His Holiness the Dalai Lama requesting prayers, to IMI Sangha and to the Sangha at Rinpoche s house in the United States to make tsa-tsas and stupas in her name. On March 22, Rinpoche also offered extensive dedications during Guru Puja at the center for her and later did the eight prayers with Sangha, dedicating for her. What good karma she had! So let s rejoice. Miss Wong was very fortunate and lived a meaningful and fruitful life. All who knew her will miss her very much. May Miss Wong be reborn in a pure land where she can continue to carry on her practices and gain the realization of the five paths, the ten bhumis, the two stages of tantra and attain the state of Vajradhara. Jackie Boyce, 63, died in Sydney, Australia, April 9, 2013, tragically By Joyce Morgan On a trip to Bhutan in 2011, Jackie Boyce longed to climb to Tiger s Nest Monastery, but she feared her aversion to heights might prove too powerful, as it had on an earlier trip. She insisted her companions go ahead. She would set her own slow, steady pace. This time, her quiet determination won out. She not only reached the monastery, she also overcame her reluctance to cross a perilous iron footbridge over a swift-flowing river. Her joy at these achievements was palpable. Born in Wales, Jackie migrated to Australia with her family in She trained as a psychiatric nurse and worked throughout her life in psychiatric hospitals and community health centers in Sydney. After recovering from a serious car accident as a young woman, she traveled to Europe. While working in London, she met her husband, Philip, then a young trainee doctor. She enjoyed the era s lively parties and music scene, including a music festival in Tunisia where she danced with Joan Baez. Jackie returned to Australia with Philip in 1978 where they raised their three children, Miranda, Lucy and Julian. She instilled in them concern for society s most vulnerable. This saw her family spend one Christmas Eve with the homeless and working as volunteers with a charitable foundation serving Christmas lunch to the destitute. She cared deeply about animals and the environment and she was a tireless advocate for her patients. Jackie had little time for bureaucracy, especially medical bureaucracy, and had a rubber stamp for documents she considered unnecessary red tape. The stamp had just one word: Crap. Jackie became interested in Buddhism after a trip to Bhutan in She became a regular student at Vajrayana Institute, where she was an astute and at times skeptical student who voiced her concerns with dry humor. Jackie took refuge with Geshe Samten in She undertook several pilgrimages and retreats in recent years, including to Mt. Kailash, Mongolia and the pilgrimage to Bhutan as one of a group of students who accompanied their teacher, Renate Ogilvie, in Jackie had planned a pilgrimage to Burma later this year. She is remembered as a courageous, determined and compassionate spirit whose generosity will be deeply missed. Ven. Lobsang Palmo (Eve Hardman), 68, died in London, England, April 13, 2013, of cancer By Esther Garibay South African-born Ven. Palmo, had a life which she described as full of falling into and getting out of holes. Disabled from birth, she never let this hold her back, and it is perhaps why, as Jamyang friends have described her, she was such a strong and feisty person, but smiley too. Living in the UK since 1964, she became a Buddhist practitioner in Mandala July - September 2013

53 Jamyang London became her home in 2002, where she was ordained by Geshi Tashi Tsering on Enlightenment Day, June Her contributions to Jamyang were many, and she enriched the small Sangha group at Jamyang. Initially she helped the spiritual program coordinator with administering the Foundation of Buddhist Thought course, but she was also an invaluable proofreader. Ven. Palmo contributed warmly and personally to Jamyang s Dying Well group, enriched by the experience of nursing her former partner, Phil; as ordained Sangha, her readings at community members funerals was hugely appreciated. Ven. Palmo was a keen gardener and the plants she gave to Jamyang s courtyard garden are a lovely reminder of her time with us. A Bergenia abendglut a hardy plant whose name means evening glow flowered as she was dying. She displayed amazing generosity to FPMT projects and to individuals. A substantial donation to Jamyang s Repaying the Kindness project, which supports local caregivers, rescued it in 2012 when its statutory funding was cut. A volunteer with the Liberation Prison Project (LPP) since 2003, she was a corresponding Dharma friend and subsequently Dharma mentor to seven LPP students in the United States. From mid-2012, she coordinated LPP volunteers at Jamyang the largest group from any one center. She also contributed financially to support Land of Joy, the planned FPMT retreat center in the UK. Ven. Palmo prepared as best she could for the end of this life, confiding that she was really rather excited about dying! The support she received from her family and from the Jamyang community was invaluable. Ven. Barbara visited her weekly, a role handed to Jamyang s former SPC, Esther Garibay, when Ven. Barbara left in January this year to go on retreat. Ven. Palmo s siblings, Patricia and Richard, were an equally important support to her, particularly in the final weeks. Ven. Palmo was cared for wonderfully in her own home; her family spent much time with her, backed up by her caregivers, Josephine and Ufoma, and cancer nurses. Two days before she died, Geshe Tashi did a Medicine Buddha puja with her and her mind was clear. Towards the end she asked to be in silence and she died peacefully, with her sister, Patricia, at her side. NEW!! Buddhism Courses LEARN TIBETAN & STUDY BUDDHISM WITH DAVID CURTIS Over 18 years experience teaching hundreds of students DISTANCE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES Tibetan Language Courses: Levels I, II, and III Fundamentals of Buddhism: A Dharma Course (No Tibetan required) TLI BOOKSTORE Best-selling Beginners Package with Effective Instructional DVDs VISIT THE TLI WEBSITE Free study aids, info about classes, and more Learning Tibetan from David Curtis is definitely one of life s better experiences. K.J., VA David was named a Lama in 1992 and an Acharya in TIBETAN LANGUAGE INSTITUTE July - September 2013 Mandala 53

54 FPMT NEWS AROUND THE WORLD Lama Zopa Rinpoche News FPMT spiritual director Lama Zopa Rinpoche returned to Nepal after his tour of East Asia [see page 16]. Rinpoche spent April at Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu. While there, Rinpoche, Rangjung Neljorma Khadro Namsel Drolma (Khadro-la) and others did special prayers for world peace at Boudhanath Stupa, where Rinpoche often does circumambulation. On April 29, Rinpoche was offered a long life puja by senior monks and nuns at Kopan. In May, Rinpoche took part in opening ceremonies for the recently completed stupa for Khensur Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup at Kopan. Rinpoche traveled to Tushita Meditation Centre in Dharamsala, India, where he celebrated Saka Dawa. In August, Rinpoche will be leading the 100 Million Mani Retreat, hosted by FPMT Mongolia. For more information on Rinpoche s schedule, visit For news about Rinpoche, visit and mandalamagazine.org/posts. You can also find news and photos of Rinpoche on Lama Zopa Rinpoche s Facebook page. Lama Zopa Rinpoche eating puk (tsampa) above Namo Buddha, about a three-hour drive from Kathmandu, where Guru Rinpoche is said to have subdued spirits, Nepal, May Photo by Ven.Thubten Kunsang. International Ever since we first started making Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive publications available as ebooks, our reach has grown by leaps and bounds. From just a handful of copies being downloaded from Google Books in 2007, we now see nearly 2,000 copies of our books downloaded every month from Amazon.com, itunes, Barnes & Noble, and many other vendor sites. We recently redesigned and republished Lama Zopa Rinpoche s classic text The Heart of the Path in ebook format. Almost all the books in the LYWA library free and for sale have been redesigned to look beautiful and take full advantage of all ereader capabilities. We are happy to also be collaborating with Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Singapore to make some of their recent titles available as ebooks through LYWA and with Gaden Shartse Thubten Dhargye Ling to reissue His Holiness the Dalai Lama s Illuminating the Path to Enlightenment as an ebook. FromJenBarlow Maitreya Heart Shrine Relic Tour completed another successful Mexico tour in May with events in Cancún, Cozumel, Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey, Durango, San Luis Potosí, Aguascalientes, León, Uruapan, Toluca and Mexico City. The events were so wellattended that plans for a 2014 Mexico tour are already underway. The relics also toured France, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and Italy in spring The team got stuck in the snow in Hungary, but still made it to the event! More than 10,000 visitors came to see the relics at the Oriental Festival in Milan. The relics will visit more European cities then travel to Indonesia, Bhutan and Sikkim later in the year. On our website, we have created a gallery highlighting the very best inspiring and beautiful images from events around the world, spanning the past 12 years. We also have a new Relic Tour brochure, which includes information on the masters whose relics are in the Mother and child blessing in Mullumbimby, Australia, Photo by Andy Melnic. collections. We offer thanks to Andy Melnic for many, many hours of creative and painstaking work. Visit the Tour s Facebook page, updated daily, which documents the relics visits to more and more countries, creating a network of love. From Victoria Coleman 54 Mandala July - September 2013

55 Australia Queensland superb retreat. I m so grateful! From Cherry Rattue We rejoice that we are able to offer these classes to the local community and that advanced students are now able to deepen their studies. FromLindeJonke Easter nyung nä participants, March Photo courtesy of Langri Tangpa Centre. Langri Tangpa Centre held our annual Easter nyung nä retreat again this year. Most of the people were completely new to the practice. Even after reading the stories from past nyung näs, they were undeterred and committed to the four full days. As a kind of Dharma bootcamp, in which the ego is beaten and dismantled and the altruistic attitude resurrected in its place, nyung näs turn out to be an incredible bonding experience for our Dharma brothers and sisters, fostering what Lama Yeshe called family feeling the life-blood of the center. We dedicated the merit of our practice to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and to the swift and complete recovery of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. From Miffi Maxmillion Victoria It was so good to be back at Atisha Centre, where I first heard the lam-rim in the cozy gompa (now the library), wrote Helen Manos who participated in a recent retreat at the center. Now in the large spacious gompa, Thubten Gyatso again led us through a series of meditations, focused on achieving calm abiding. As well, he taught from his own text, The World and Ourselves, Buddhist Psychology. Gyatso began with an overview of Western psychology and nine days later, ended on our new career path: bodhisattvahood. With humor and anecdotes, we were led through another Lama Zopa Rinpoche prepares to cut the ribbon to unveil the Jade Buddha in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March Photo by Ron Lim. Lama Zopa Rinpoche was a guest of honor at the March 15 opening ceremony of the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Rinpoche appeared to be in good spirits and joined in all the official activities, which included the ribbon cutting and the release of the doves of peace. This is the second time that Rinpoche has seen the Jade Buddha (the first time was in Paris in 2011). The Jade Buddha was on show in Kuala Lumpur March Then the jade statue moved to Times Square in Penang for an exhibition April 6-14, hosted by Chokyi Gyaltsen Center. The response in Malaysia was overwhelming and the team of volunteers worked very hard. The Jade Buddha is a project of the Great Stupa for Universal Compassion. Work at the stupa continues with the completion of all walls and stairs scheduled for October of this year. FromIan Green Canada On March 21, Gendun Drubpa Centre members gathered to welcome the center s first resident teacher, Ven. Tenzin Chogkyi. The center offers a full program, including classes in meditation, Basic Program and Dharma discussions. Following Ven. Robina Courtin s December 2012 visit to Lama Yeshe Ling Centre, we ran two successful four-week meditation series based on the topic she taught on, Being Your Own Therapist. In April, Ven. Amy Miller came for her annual trip to Canada. She taught on How to Live Fully and Die Peacefully: A Practical Workshop Exploring Life s Ultimate Transition. At the end of May, FPMT News Around the World Now Online! Each issue, Mandala receives dozens of inspiring updates and photos from FPMT centers, projects and services. So many great stories come in that we ve started sharing them in our FPMT News Around the World blog. Take a minute to get to know more about the worldwide FPMT mandala by reading new stories from: Chenrezig Institute and its projects the Enlightenment Project for Purification and Merit and the Garden of Enlightenment in Eudlo, Queensland, Australia Chag-tong Chen-tong Centre in Snug, Tasmania, Australia Choe Khor Sum Ling in Bangalore, India Centro Tara Cittamani in Padova, Italy LandofJoyin the United Kingdom North American Regional Meeting Visit mandalamagazine.org and click on blog or search for a center s name to read more. July - September 2013 Mandala 55

56 FPMT NEWS AROUND THE WORLD Dekyi-Lee Oldershaw, Elizabeth Skronski and Laurie Dolan, who all play roles in the Universal Education for Compassion and Wisdom Advisory Group, led a twoday weekend workshop 16 Guidelines for Life: Tools for Personal and Cultural Change. From Deborah Seigel Denmark Pure Land of Medicine Buddha, a hospice project of Tong-nyi Nying-je Ling, continues our volunteer program of visiting sick and chronically ill people. In autumn, we will start offering a vigilance service to dying people in the last two weeks of life. We have been training to use the Liberation Box [a collection of tools for time of death assembled according to Lama Zopa Rinpoche s advice and available through the online FPMT Foundation Store], so we can feel confident offering that as part of our service. We are close to completing the Danish translation of the booklet that goes with the Liberation Box. From Maria Damsholt France Ven. Sangye Khadro comes to Kalachakra Centre for an Easter retreat. Photo courtesy of Kalachakra Centre. For three years, Ven. Sangye Khadro has come to Kalachakra Centre for Easter. This year she gave an exceptional threeday weekend course on transforming emotions. Our newly renovated rooms comfortably accommodated the well attended event. Ven. Khadro also taught on how to meditate, which appealed to the younger audience, who called their friends and filled the hall completely. The beloved Geshe Drakpa Tsundue, our resident geshe, has started serious French-language training in order to apply for French citizenship. FromVen. Elisabeth Drukier India The main gompa at Tushita Meditation Centre re-opened its doors to the public in April after a seven-month closure for the first part of a vast gompa painting project. This was just in time for 90 students to begin a ten-day Introduction to Buddhism course there, lead by Glen Svensson. An amazing team of Tibetan thangka painters have worked tirelessly and patiently to transform the gompa according to Lama Zopa Rinpoche s wishes. Rinpoche s advice has been all-encompassing to make the space most meaningful and beneficial to all students and visitors. Seeing it manifest is a wondrous sight to behold. The gompa now has a shambu design along all the walls along with other background features. Mantras and verses are painted on the beams, including the five powerful mantras and verses from the Bodhicharyavatara. A Vajrasattva mandala on the largest ceiling section in the gompa took three months to complete. The painters have endured tough conditions, painting throughout the winter months of cold, storms and power cuts. Outside the gompa, they are now painting the 21 Taras and the Eight Medicine Buddhas on the main archways. For more details, contact Linda at director@tushita.info. From Linda Gyatso Italy Chiara Luce Edizioni has new books printed, including A Chat About Heruka by Lama Zopa Rinpoche; L Arte tibetana dei sogni (The Tibetan Art of Dreams) by Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, medical director of the Sorig Institute and the International Academy for Traditional Tibetan Medicine; Tara, l arte del potere femminile (Tara, The Art of Feminine Power) by Ven. Carla Tsultrim Freccero; and other titles. We have also reprinted Liberation in the Palm of Your Hands, thanks to Lama Sherab and the centers that ordered advance copies. From Endo Vassallo Lhungtok Choekhorling Monastic Project presented our preliminary plans for our building project to the authorities in After numerous meetings (and not without a certain frustration with Italian bureaucracy), we are still waiting for approval. Lama Zopa Rinpoche reminded us in a recent meeting that our monastery will be the first in FPMT to be built from scratch, as others have been established on locations with pre-existing buildings. It is extremely important to create in Pomaia a separate building and space for monks and nuns. The many study programs of Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa in Pomaia attract large numbers of students and the Sangha community has outgrown its space there. Monks and nuns have to rent accommodations in the nearby village, which can be expensive and not conducive to creating community. These are some of the difficulties this project to build a monastery and nunnery will solve. From Ven. Massimo Stordi L Arte tibetana dei sogni (The Tibetan Art of Dreams) by Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, printed by Chiara Luce Edizioni 56 Mandala July - September 2013

57 Students of Shakyamuni Study Group are studying the first module of Discovering Buddhism. We also are receiving instruction on meditation on the lam-rim in coordination with Centro Muni Gyana in Palermo. From Guglielmo Margio Mexico Bengungyal Center in Aguascalientes says good-bye to Rebeca Cuan, the Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Programme 5 graduate who served the last two years as the interpreter for Geshe Lobsang Khedup, our resident geshe. She goes to India to continue her studies. We infinitely appreciate her outstanding service. April was the second time that Aguascalientes and our center welcomed the Maitreya Heart Shrine Relic Tour. Blanquita Lozano, wife of Governor Carlos Lozano, opened the showing of the relics, with an attendance of over 1,000 visitors, some with their pets. We are grateful for the relics visit and the peace left in our hearts. From Roi Pallares Spain New guardian protector at O.Sel.Ling s entrance. Photo courtesy of O.Sel.Ling Centro de Retiros. O.Sel.Ling Centro de Retiros new reception center is now almost ready. The finishing touches have been made, and with them, we are on target for its opening. We celebrated Tibetan New Year (Losar), making the most of it with the inauguration of the building, and we had vegetarian paella, enjoyed by about 50 of us. Our new spiritual program coordinator is Ven. Fabio Poza. We also have two new guardian protectors at O.Sel.Ling s entrance. The dragon flags are the work of Suzanne Mittring, a student and volunteer at the center. FromVen.FabioPoza Nepal Dzambala was one of the first residents at Animal Liberation Sanctuary. He died of cancer on March 15, Photo courtesy of Animal Liberation Sanctuary. New buildings at the Animal Liberation Sanctuary, a project of Kopan Monastery, are almost complete and include quarantine facilities; caretaker rooms; a treatment room for veterinary procedures; a new shelter with space to separate timid animals from dominant ones; and beautiful stupas to circumambulate so that the animals accumulate merit and purify negative karma. Creating the new sanctuary has been a challenging job as it pushes against the normal farming ideas and cultural traditions in Nepal. Meanwhile, the animals currently housed at Kopan Monastery continue to have their ups and downs, including injuries, parasites and deadly bloat brought on by ingesting plastic bags. From Tania Duratovic and Phil Hunt United Kingdom Jamyang Bath Study Group bounced into the New Year with a very inspiring talk by Ven. Kerry Prest from Nalanda Monastery on A Buddhist Path in the Modern World. Ven. Kerry returns in June to teach on How to Be Happy When Things Go Wrong and Relating to the Spiritual Teacher. This is in addition to our regular study group discussion meetings for Discovering Buddhism and Foundation of Buddhist Thought. We have regular one-day retreats at the end of modules and are planning a two-day summer lam-rim retreat. These events are a welcome addition to our regular meetings and a chance to meet in a different setting, meditate together and share food. From Sandra Whilding United States California The stupa project at Land of Calm Abiding is completed. Nestled into the oak trees with a view of Maitreya Rock, the stupa is situated in a feng shui park that enhances the power of the stupa. Many thanks to all the builders and sponsors, especially to Ven. Sumden and Ven. Jampa who worked all winter to finish the project. We have space for a couple more volunteers for the summer season and one retreat cabin is available. And check out the new website! From Catherine Slocock Massachusetts In March, Wisdom Publications was thrilled to release the latest volume in the Library of Tibetan Classics series, A Lamp to Illuminate the Five Stages: Teachings on Guhyasamaja Tantra by Tsongkhapa and translated by Gavin Kilty. In A Lamp to Illuminate the Five States, Tsongkhapa provides a detailed presentation of the completion-stage of highest yoga tantra. This is the eighth volume in the thirty-two-volume series. Also newly released is the second volume in Wisdom s Tibetan Classics series, the tastiest excerpts from Thupten Jinpa s translation of July - September 2013 Mandala 57

58 FPMT NEWS AROUND THE WORLD the Book of Kadam along with additional context and his personal reflections in Wisdom of the Kadam Masters. Also in March, Wisdom was listed (for the second time!) as one of Publishers Weekly s Fastest Growing Independent Publishers. From Lydia Anderson Vermont Milarepa Center recently added stunning adornments to its stupa and added to the glory of its offering room. Nepali artist, Jampel Lama, the artist behind the magnificent work of the stupa sculptures and painting, constructed two tables to hold heavy statues in our offering room and painted them along with the base of our Bakula Arhat statue. We are eagerly awaiting a fourth statue to grace this room alargeoneofpadmasambhava coming this June that Jampel will paint in the future. From Ven. Amy Miller New bases for statues in Milarepa s offering room. Photo courtesy of Milarepa Center. Virginia In December 2012, Guhyasamaja Center purchased our first meeting space, allowing us to offer a wider range of classes to the local community. February-March, we had a month-long visit from Ven. George Churinoff, who taught the Death and Rebirth module of Discovering Buddhism and also offered pujas and other classes on advanced topics. On March 22, our resident geshe Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche came to our new space for the first time to do a Rabnay Blessing Ceremony of the new center and then participate in a Lama Chöpa with tsog with our students. On May 10-12, Khensur Rinpoche continued teaching on tantric stages and paths, focusing on the Kalachakra section. And July 1-8, Khensur Rinpoche leads a residential retreat: Realizing Emptiness: Lama Tsongkhapa s Praise of Dependent Arising. From Lorne Ladner Khensur Rinpoche, resident geshe, Guhyasamaja Center. Photo by Jen Thompson. 58 Mandala July - September 2013

59 FPMT Directory This directory is a listing of centers, projects and services worldwide which are under the spiritual direction of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). You can find a complete listing with address and director/coordinator information on the FPMT website: Please contact centerservices@fpmt.org with any updates to your listing. Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche c/o FPMT International Office FPMT International Office 1632 SE 11th Avenue Portland, OR USA Tel: +1 (503) Projects of FPMT International Office include: Online Learning Fund Puja Fund Sera Je Food Fund Stupas to Minimize Harm from the Elements INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS International Mahayana Institute Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive Lincoln, MA USA Tel: +1 (781) Liberation Prison Project Ashfield, Australia project.org Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Programme Dharamsala, India LKPY: Loving Kindness Peaceful Youth Australia Maitreya Heart Shrine Relic Tour London, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (207) Maitreya Project International Universal Education for Compassion and Wisdom London, United Kingdom wisdom.org Tel: +44 (0) FPMT REGIONAL AND NATIONAL OFFICES Australian National Office Tel: +61 (2) Brazilian National Office myferreira@terra.com.br Tel: +55 (47) European Regional Office Italian National Office fpmtcoord.italy@gmail.com Mexico National Office Tel: +52 (987) Nepal National Office franh@wlink.com.np Tel: +977 (1) North American (USA and Canada) Regional Office Tel: +1 (416) South Asian Regional Office franh@wlink.com.np Spanish National Office Tel: Taiwan National Office Tel: +886 (2) United Kingdom National Office Tel: +44 (1225) FPMT CENTERS, PROJECTS AND SERVICES ARGENTINA (Tel Code 54) Yogi Saraha Study Group Buenos Aires yogisaraha@gmail.com Tel: (11) AUSTRALIA (Tel Code 61) NEW SOUTH WALES Enlightenment for the Dear Animals Denistone East animals.org Tel: +61 (2) Kadam Sharawa Buddhist Institute Copacabana Tel: (0402) Kunsang Yeshe Retreat Centre Katoomba Tel: (02) Resident Teacher: Ven. Yonten Vajrayana Institute Ashfield Tel: (02) Resident Geshe: Geshe Ngawang Samten Resident Teacher: Wai Cheong Kok QUEENSLAND Chenrezig Institute Eudlo Tel: (07) Resident Geshe: Geshe Lobsang Jamyang Resident Teacher: Ven. Tenzin Tsepal Projects of Chenrezig Institute: The Enlightenment Project for Purification and Merit info@enlightenment project.com The Garden of Enlightenment content/view/42/146 Cittamani Hospice Service Palmwoods hospice.com.au Tel: (07) Karuna Hospice Service Windsor Tel: (07) A project of Karuna Hospice: Karuna Books Langri Tangpa Centre Camp Hill Tel: (07) SOUTH AUSTRALIA Buddha House Tusmore Tel: (08) Resident Teacher: Ven. Thubten Dondrub De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre Kingscote Tel: (08) TASMANIA Chag-tong Chen-tong Centre Snug Tel: (03) Wishfulfilling Thought Transformation Study Group Wynyard VICTORIA Atisha Centre Eaglehawk Tel: (03) The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion Maiden Gully Tel: (03) Shen Phen Ling Study Group Wodonga shenpenling@hotmail.com Tel: (02) Tara Institute Brighton East Tel: (03) Resident Geshe: Geshe Lobsang Doga Thubten Shedrup Ling Eaglehawk Tel: (03) WESTERN AUSTRALIA Hayagriva Buddhist Centre Kensington Tel: (08) Resident Geshe: Geshe Ngawang Sonam Hospice of Mother Tara Bunbury Tel: (08) AUSTRIA (Tel Code 43) Panchen Losang Chogyen Gelugzentrum Vienna Tel: (1) July - September 2013 Mandala 59

60 BELGIUM (Tel Code 32) Shedrup Zungdel Study Group Burg Reuland BRAZIL (Tel Code 55) Centro Shiwa Lha Rio de Janeiro Tel: (21) CANADA (Tel Code 1) Gendun Drubpa Centre Williams Lake, B.C. Tel: (788) Resident Teacher: Ven. Tenzin Chogkyi Lama Yeshe Ling Centre Oakville, Ontario Tel: (905) CHINA (Tel Code 852) Mahayana Buddhist Association (Cham-Tse-Ling) North Point, Hong Kong Tel: COLOMBIA (Tel Code 57) Centro Yamantaka Bogotá Tel: (311) Resident Geshe: Geshe Kunkhen Tara s Wishfulfilling Vase Study Group Barranquilla Tel: (314) DENMARK (Tel Code 45) Tong-nyi Nying-je Ling Copenhagen Tel: Resident Teacher: Stephan Pende Wormland Projects of Tong-nyi Nying-je Ling: Pure Land of Medicine Buddha Dharma Wisdom Publishing FINLAND (Tel Code 358) Tara Liberation Study Group Helsinki Tel: (50) FRANCE (Tel Code 33) Editions Vajra Yogini Marzens Tel: (05) Gyaltsab Je Study Group Ile de la Reunion Institut Vajra Yogini Marzens Tel: (05) Resident Geshes: Geshe Tengye and Geshe Tenzin Loden Resident Teacher: Ven. Chantal Carrerot Kalachakra Centre Paris kalachakra.com Tel: (01) Resident Geshe: Geshe Drakpa Tsundue Nalanda Monastery Labastide St. Georges Tel: (05) Resident Geshe: Geshe Losang Jamphel Thakpa Kachoe Retreat Land Villetale Tel: (612) FRENCH POLYNESIA (Tel Code 689) Naropa Meditation Center Tahiti over-blog.com GERMANY (Tel Code 49) Aryatara Institut München Tel: (89) Resident Teacher: Ven. Fedor Stracke Diamant Verlag Kaltern, Italy Tel: +39 (0471) Tara Mandala Center Landau taramandala@t-online.de Tel: Resident Teacher: Dieter Kratzer INDIA (Tel Code 91) Choe Khor Sum Ling Study Group Bangalore Tel: (80) Maitreya Project Trust Gorakhpur india@maitreyaproject.org Tel: (551) MAITRI Charitable Trust Bodhgaya Tel: (631) Root Institute Bodhgaya Tel: (631) Projects of Root Institute: Shakyamuni Buddha Community Health Care Centre Maitreya School Sera IMI House Bylakuppe seraimihouse@gmail.com Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre New Delhi mahayanadelhi@gmail.com Tel: (11) Tushita Meditation Centre McLeod Ganj Tel: (1892) INDONESIA (Tel Code 62) Lama Serlingpa Bodhicitta Study Group Jambi herni_kim@yahoo.com Potowa Center Tangerang Tel: (21) ISRAEL (Tel Code 972) Shantideva Study Group Ramat Gan Tel: ITALY (Tel Code 39) Casa del Buddha della Medicina Livorno protezione.it Centro Lama Tzong Khapa Treviso danilloghi@mailfarm.net Tel: (0422) Centro Muni Gyana Palermo Tel: (0327) Centro Studi Cenresig Bologna Tel: (347) Centro Tara Cittamani Padova Tel: (049) Centro Terra di Unificazione Ewam Florence Tel: (055) Chiara Luce Edizioni Pomaia (Pisa) Tel: (050) Drolkar Study Group Genova Tel: Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa Pomaia (Pisa) Tel: (050) Resident Geshes: Geshe Tenzin Tenphel and Geshe Jampa Gelek Projects of Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa: Shenpen Samten Ling Nunnery Takden Shedrup Targye Ling Monastery Kushi Ling Retreat Centre Arco (TN) Tel: (347) Resident Geshe: Geshe Dondup Tsering Lhungtok Choekhorling Monastic Project Pomaia Sangye Choling Study Group Sondrio Tel: (39) Shiné Jewelry Pomaia (Pisa) Tel: (050) Yeshe Norbu - Appello per il Tibet Pomaia (Pisa) Tel: (050) JAPAN (Tel Code 81) Do Ngak Sung Juk Centre Tokyo Tel: (070) LATVIA (Tel Code 371) Ganden Buddhist Meditation Centre Riga Tel: Yiga Chodzin Study Group Raunas novads MALAYSIA (Tel Code 60) Chokyi Gyaltsen Center Penang Tel: (4) Resident Geshe: Geshe Deyang Rinchen Jangsem Ling Retreat Centre Triang Kasih Hospice Care Selangor Tel: (3) Mandala July - September 2013

61 Losang Dragpa Centre Selangor Tel: (3) Resident Geshe: Geshe Jampa Tsundu MAURITIUS (Tel Code 230) Dharmarakshita Study Group Vacoas Tel: MEXICO (Tel Code 52) Bengungyal Center Aguascalientes Tel: (449) Resident Geshe: Geshe Losang Khedup Chekawa Study Group Uruapan Tel/Fax: (452) Khamlungpa Center Zapopan Tel: (33) Resident Geshe: Geshe Losang Khedup Khedrup Sangye Yeshe Study Group Morelia yahoo.com.mx Tel: (443) Padmasambhava Study Group Durango Tel: (6181) Rinchen Zangpo Center Torreo n Tel: (087) Serlingpa Retreat Center Zitacuaro gpa.blogspot.com Tel: (715) Thubten Kunkyab Study Group Coapa Tel: (552) Vajrapani Tibetan Buddhist Study Group Huatulco Tel: (958) Yeshe Gyaltsen Center Cozumel (987) MONGOLIA (Tel Code 976) All Mongolian centers, projects and services are accessible through: Drolma Ling Nunnery Ulaanbaatar Tel: (11) Enlightening Mind Ulaanbaatar Tel: (11) Ganden Do Ngag Shedrup Ling Ulaanbaatar Tel: (11) Golden Light Sutra Center Darkhan Tel: (1372) NEPAL (Tel Code 977) Ganden Yiga Chözin Buddhist Meditation Centre Pokhara centre.com Tel: (61) Himalayan Buddhist Meditation Centre Kathmandu Tel: (980) Khachoe Ghakyil Nunnery Kathmandu Tel: (1) Resident Geshes: Geshe Lobsang Zopa, Geshe Tsering Norbu, Geshe Konchog Nodrup, and Geshe Losang Chodak Kopan Monastery Kathmandu Tel: (1) Resident Geshes: Geshe Lobsang Sherab, Geshe Lobsang Nyendrak, Geshe Jampa Gyaltsen, and Geshe Tashi Dhondup Resident Teacher: Ven. Karin Valham Projects of Kopan Monastery: Animal Liberation Sanctuary other/alp.html Mu Gompa Chhekampar Resident Geshe: Geshe Tenzin Nyima Rachen Nunnery Chhekampar Resident Geshe: Geshe Tenzin Nyima Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery Solu Khumbu Resident Geshes: Geshe Thubten Yonden, Geshe Tenzin Khentse Lawudo Retreat Centre Solu Khumbu Tel: (1) THE NETHERLANDS (Tel Code 31) Maitreya Instituut Amsterdam Amsterdam Tel: (020) Resident Teacher: Ven. Kaye Miner Maitreya Instituut Loenen Loenen Tel: (05550) Resident Geshe: Geshe Sonam Gyaltsen A project of Maitreya Instituut Loenen: Maitreya Uitgeverij (Maitreya Publications) NEW ZEALAND (Tel Code 64) Amitabha Hospice Service Avondale Tel: (09) Chandrakirti Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Centre Richmond Tel: (03) Resident Geshe: Geshe Jampa Tharchin Dorje Chang Institute Avondale Tel: (09) Resident Geshe: Geshe Thubten Wangchen Mahamudra Centre Colville Tel: (07) ROMANIA (Tel Code 402) Grupul de Studiu Buddhist White Tara Judetul Arges Tel: RUSSIA (Tel Code 7) Aryadeva Study Group St. Petersburg Tel: (812) Ganden Tendar Ling Center Moscow Tel: (926) SINGAPORE (Tel Code 65) Amitabha Buddhist Centre Singapore Tel: Resident Geshe: Khen Rinpoche Geshe Thubten Chonyi SLOVENIA (Tel Code 386) Chagna Pemo Study Group Domzale my.sunstar@gmail.com Tel: (40) SPAIN (Tel Code 34) Ediciones Dharma Novelda Tel: (96) Nagarjuna C.E.T. Alicante Alicante Tel: (66) Nagarjuna C.E.T. Barcelona Barcelona Tel: (93) Resident Geshe: Geshe Losang Jamphel Nagarjuna C.E.T. Granada Granada Tel: (95) Nagarjuna C.E.T. Madrid Madrid Tel: (91) Resident Geshe: Geshe Thubten Choden Centro Nagarjuna Valencia Valencia Tel: (96) Resident Geshe: Geshe Lamsang Nagarjuna s Light Study Group Pamplona pamplona.com/ O.Sel.Ling Centro de Retiros Orgiva Tel: (95) Resident Teacher: Ven. Champa Shenphen Tekchen Chö Ling Ontinyent yent.es Tel: (96) Tushita Retreat Center Arbúcies tushita Tel: (97) SWEDEN (Tel Code 46) Tsog Nyi Ling Study Group Ransta Tel: (0224) Yeshe Norbu Study Group Stockholm Tel: (0707) July - September 2013 Mandala 61

62 SWITZERLAND (Tel Code 41) Gendun Drupa Centre Muraz/Sierre Tel: (27) Resident Teacher: Sixte Vinçotte Longku Center Bern Tel: (31) TAIWAN (Tel Code 886) All Taiwanese centers are accessible through: Heruka Center Ciaotou Tel: (7) Resident Geshe: Geshe Tsethar Jinsiu Farlin Taipei Tel: (2) Resident Geshe: Geshe Gyurme Shakyamuni Center Taichung City Tel: (4) Resident Geshe: Geshe Ngawang Gyatso UNITED KINGDOM (Tel Code 44) Jamyang Bath Study Group Bath Jamyang Buddhist Centre London Tel: (02078) Resident Geshe: Geshe Tashi Tsering Jamyang Buddhist Centre Leeds Leeds Tel: (07866) Land of Joy Tel: (07949) Saraswati Study Group Drayton Tel: (01458) Togme Sangpo Study Group Findhorn Tel: (01309) Yeshe Study Group Cumbria Tel: (01229) UNITED STATES (Tel Code 1) CALIFORNIA Gyalwa Gyatso (Ocean of Compassion) Buddhist Center Campbell Tel: (408) Resident Teacher: Emily Hsu Land of Calm Abiding San Simeon Tel: (831) Land of Medicine Buddha Soquel buddha.org Tel: (831) Tara Home Soquel Tel: (831) Tara Redwood School Soquel school.org Tsa Tsa Studio / Center for Tibetan Sacred Art Richmond Tel: (415) Tse Chen Ling San Francisco Tel: (415) Resident Geshe: Geshe Ngawang Dakpa Vajrapani Institute Boulder Creek Tel: (800) COLORADO Lama Yeshe House Study Group Boulder Tel: (303) FLORIDA Land for Nagarjuna s Sutra and Tantra Dharma Study Group Sarasota gedun@mindspring.com Tel: (941) Tubten Kunga Center Deerfield Beach Tel: (954) Resident Geshe: Geshe Konchog Kyab MASSACHUSETTS Kurukulla Center Medford Tel: (617) Resident Geshe: Geshe Tenley Wisdom Publications Inc. Somerville Tel: (617) MONTANA Osel Shen Phen Ling Missoula Tel: (406) NEVADA Dharmakaya Study Group Reno Tel: (775) NEW MEXICO Thubten Norbu Ling Santa Fe Tel: (505) Resident Teacher: Don Handrick Ksitigarbha Tibetan Buddhist Center Ranchos de Taos NEW YORK Shantideva Meditation Center New York meditation.org NORTH CAROLINA Kadampa Center Raleigh Tel: (919) Resident Geshe: Geshe Gelek Chodha OHIO Manjushri Study Group Youngstown studygroup.org OREGON Maitripa College Portland Tel: (503) Resident Geshe: Yangsi Rinpoche TEXAS Land of Compassion and Wisdom Austin Tel: (512) VERMONT Milarepa Center Barnet Tel: (802) VIRGINIA Guhyasamaja Center Centreville Tel: (703) Resident Geshe: Khensur Lobsang Jampa Rinpoche WASHINGTON Buddha Amitabha Pure Land Riverside pure-land.org Pamtingpa Center Tonasket Tel: (509) What does it mean to be an FPMT Center, Study Group, Project or Service? If a center, project or service is affiliated with FPMT, it means that it follows the spiritual direction of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. It means that centers and study groups use FPMT s educational programs and material, created in the unique lineage of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Each FPMT center, project or service is incorporated individually (is a separate legal entity) and is responsible for its own governance and finance. All FPMT centers, projects, services and study groups follow the FPMT Ethical Policy. FPMT study groups are groups which are using this status as a probationary period before a group becomes a legal entity and a full FPMT center, project or service. FPMT study groups are not yet affiliated with the FPMT, and therefore do not have the same responsibilities as a center or project, financially or administratively. 62 Mandala July - September 2013

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64 The Foundation of Buddhist Thought A correspondence course that provides a structured approach to deepen your knowledge and practice of Tibetan Buddhism. Established in 1999 and recently updated, it has over 600 graduates worldwide. This precious two-year course offers study, supportive tutors, Q & A sessions, meditation, learning activities and online discussion. Geshe Tashi Tsering, Jamyang Buddhist Centre s resident teacher and course creator, is renowned for making Buddhism accessible and relevant to modern day life. Courses start every 4 months in January, May and September. For more information and to apply, visit: This course is part of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition FBT graduates can continue their studies by joining Geshe Tashi's Lamrim Chenmo correspondence course

Being quarantined as a safety

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